Hockey India League 2024/25 Points Table: Updated HIL standings on January 2

The UP Rudras registered their second successive win in the Hockey India League (HIL) with a fluent 3-0 win against Soorma Hockey Club at the Birsa Munda Stadium on Thursday (January 2).

An action-packed opening quarter witnessed Paul van Ass' team take an early lead from open play before creating enough chances to double their tally. Despite enjoying the ascendancy in the second quarter, the Soormas were unable to find an equalizer, with Harmanpreet Singh failing to convert a flurry of penalty corners.

Sudeep Chirmako, who scored the opening goal, created the second for the Rudras in the third quarter. Akashdeep Singh then sealed the deal for the UP team, scoring with a tomahawk into an empty goal after the Soormas had taken goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch off.

Lalit Upadhyay took a crack at Soorma's goal in the second minute. Sudeep Chirmako pounced on the deflection in a flash and slotted the ball into the net before the Soorma defenders had a chance to react.

Prabhjot Singh was on target at the other end but was unable to beat James Mazarelo in the Rudras' goal.

Gurjot Singh had a chance to double the lead off an assist from Chirmako but the Rudras did manage to earn a penalty corner. Vincent Vanasch denied Kane Russell a third tournament goal in the ongoing Hockey India League.

The Soormas managed to win their first penalty corner against the run of play in the 11th minute before winning a second a minute later but Jeremy Hayward failed to convert both.

Four back-to-back penalty corners, with Harmanpreet Singh on top of the circle, came to nought, with the Soorma's skipper shooting the fourth corner wide before having the first three stopped by the PC defense in the 21st minute.

Akashdeep Singh conceded yet another penalty corner for coming in the path of the attacker off an aerial ball but Harmanpreet Singh was unable to beat James Mazarelo despite earning a follow-up corner in the 25th minute.

Sudeep Chirmako was in the thick of things for the Rudras as he sent in a peach of a pass across the goal which was neatly put away by Jobanpreet Singh to give the Rudras a 2-0 lead in the 38th minute.

Chrimako did well to create a penalty corner for his team immediately after. The UP side tried an indirect but Floris Wortelboer's lofted shot sailed over the crossbar.

An extremely bold move by the Soormas, who took goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch off in the 51st minute, failed to come off as planned, with Boris Burkhardt picking up a five-minute yellow card soon after.

Burkhardt and the Soormas felt hard done by following the umpire's call but Vanasch was back in goal a minute later before leaving the field finally in the 57th minute.

Akashdeep Singh scored with a reverse, making the most of an empty goal to help the Rudras climb to the top of the Hockey India League points table. The Soormas wasted a total of 10 penalty corners in their second Hockey India League game.

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Hockey India League: Updated Points Table Men's League Phase (Thursday, January 2)

	PLAYED	WON	LOST	S/O WIN	S/O LOSS	GF	GA	GD	POINTS
UP Rudras	2	2	0	0	0	6	1	+5	6
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers	2	2	0	0	0	5	3	+2	6
Delhi SG Pipers	2	0	0	1	1	4	4	0	3
Hyderabad Toofans	2	0	1	1	0	4	5	-1	2
Sporma Hockey Club	2	0	1	1	0	1	4	-3	2
Tamil Nadu Dragons	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	-0	1
Team Gonasika	2	0	1	0	1	3	4	--1	1
Kalinga Lancers	1	0	1	0	0	1	3	-2	0

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Hockey India League 2024/25: Men's League Fixtures (Friday, January 3)

Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, 8:15 pm IST (Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium)