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The sixth season of the revamped Hockey India League has witnessed a fair share of action, drama, and goals even as the crowds continue to pour in at Rourkela's Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium.
Soorma Hockey Club, who won a shootout bonus point against the Tamil Nadu Dragons in their opening game, will face UP Rudras on Thursday (January 2).
The Rudras, who are currently in second place following a win against Kainga Lancers, can challenge the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for the top spot if they pull off a second straight victory.
An outright win for Soorma Hockey Club, who are fourth in the standings, will enable the Harmanpreet Singh-led side to climb a couple of rungs on the Hockey India League points table.
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The grit of goalkeeper James Mazarelo who kept the Lancers at bay after conceding the opening goal will be put to the test by the likes of Phil Roper, Gurjant Singh, and Victor Wegnez on Thursday.
Kane Russell's drag flicks are striking the target consistently in the Hockey India League and the Soorma's camp would no doubt have had an extended session to counter the Black Sticks triple Olympian.
Akashdeep Singh had a quiet game against the Lancers while Lalit Upadhyay is yet to come into his own in the competition. It would be interesting to see if Sam Ward, who missed the opener for the UP side, gets a game even as the Rudras appear to be the stronger side on paper.
Needless to say, Harmanpreet Singh, who surprised the opposition by instructing Nicolas Della Torre to take a drag flick from the top of the circle in the previous game, would be keen to fire in a few more corners for the Soormas.
UP Rudras vs Soorma Hockey Club, Hockey India League match details
Match Details: UP Rudras vs Soorma Hockey Club, League Match, Hockey India League 2024
Date & Time: Thursday, January 2, 2024, 8:15 PM IST
Venue: Rourkela, India
UP Rudras vs Soorma Hockey Club: Full Squads
UP Rudras
Goalkeepers: Pankaj Kumar Rajak, James Mazarelo, Prashant Kumar Chauhan
Defenders: James Albery, Lars Balk, Surender Kumar, Sunil Jojo, Kane Russell, Prashant Barla, Sharda Nand Tiwari, Priyobarta Talem
Midfielders: Manmeet Singh, Jobanpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Rafael Vilallonga, Floris Wortelboer, Hardik Singh, Akashdeep Singh
Forwards: Sudeep Chirmako, Sam Ward, Tanguy Cosyns, Zaid Mohammad Khan, Gurjot Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
Soorma Hockey Club
Goalkeepers: Vincent Vanasch, Mohith HS, Jashandeep Singh
Defenders: Gurinder Singh, Maurya Ashu, Pradip Mandal, Nicolas Della Torre, Jeremy Hayward, Sukhvinder, Harmanpreet Singh
Midfielders: Vivek Sagar Prasad, Ankush, Victor Wegnez, Prabhjot Singh, Sunit Lakra, Harjeet Singh, Nicolas Poncelet
Forwards: Nicolas Keenan, Boris Burkhardt, Harish Somappa, Phil Roper, Pawan Rajbhar, Maninder Singh, Gurjant Singh
UP Rudras vs Soorma Hockey Club: Prediction
If the Soormas continue to be as cautious as they were against the TN Dragons, Thursday's game could well turn out to be a battle between Harmanpreet Singh and Kane Russell with the drag-flickers looking to force a result. The Rudras, however, have enough firepower up front to seize the initiative early if only the strikers manage to combine well in the danger zone.
Score Prediction: UP Rudras 4 - 2 Soorma Hockey Club
Where to watch Hockey India League 2024-25 matches in India?
Matches of the Hockey India League 2024-25 will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network and DD Sports and streamed live on SonyLiv and Waves.
