Kalinga Lancers vs Jaypee Punjab Warriors - Heroes and flops of the day

The new addition to the Hockey India League, Kalinga Lancers, opened their HIL campaign against the Jaypee Punjab Warriors at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The match turned out be a high scorer, where 10 goals were scored in total. Unfortunately for the home fans, their side Kalinga Lancer were annihilated by a buoyant Punjab side by a margin of 7 goals to 3. Let’s check out who were the heroes and flops of the match.

Heroes of the match

Dharamvir Singh

The 24 year old Dharamvir Singh, who was bought by Jaypee Punjab Warriors for $52,000, has been a vital cog in Punjab’s wheel this season so far. Against Kalinga Lancers today, he proved his worth by scoring the opening goal of the match – a strike from close range which which was set up by Christopher Ciriello. Dharamvir’s smart anticipation throughout the game allowed him to stay in good positions, which not only helped him score the opening goal, but also helped Punjab Warriors create more attacks. Also, his quick injections allowed Punjab to score two of their three goals through penalty corners.

Sandeep Singh

The star drag-flicker of Punjab Warriors, Sandeep Singh, who started the HIL on a slow note has now started to peak for his side. Today, Sandeep received two opportunities to score through penalty corners, and he converted both of them. The two strikes were trademark Sandeep – the first to the bottom right of the goalkeeper, and the second, a rocket-like drag-flick to the top left of the goalkeeper which also ripped the goal net apart.

Jamie Dwyer

The 5-time international player of the year, Jamie Dwyer, today proved why he is one of the best in the world. He scored a stunning goal for his side – an emphatic strike from an extremely narrow angle. He also helped create some crucial attacks alongside Dharamvir. He showed his captaincy prowess too, when he started with Bharat Chettri instead of Jaap Stockmann, so that he could have five foreign attackers on the field.

Notable mentions – Affan Yousuf, Christopher Ciriello

Flops of the day

Triston Clemons and Harjot Singh

The two goal-keepers for Kalinga Lancers, Australian Triston Clemons and young Indian Harjot Singh, had a torrid time today. The two combined to concede a total of seven goals. The Kalinga Lancers’ strategy seemed to be bewildering too, when they kept swapping between Clemons and Harjot, not allowing one keeper to settle in the match. Harjot also let Dwyer score from a very narrow angle, which showed the young Indian goalkeeper’s lack of experience.