Hockey India League: Semifinals - Soorma HC vs Hyderabad Toofans, where to watch, preview, prediction, and team news

Soorma Hockey Club take on Hyderabad Toofans in the second semifinal of the Hockey India League at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela on Friday (January 31).

Both teams ended the league stage with four wins apiece from ten games, with just a point separating the two sides in the final standings. The Toofans, though, have scored a whopping 26 goals as compared to the Soormas who have netted 19 going into the big encounter.

The late-evening game featuring two great drag-flickers, Gonzalo Peillat and Harmanpreet Singh, follows the first semifinal to be played between Tamil Nadu Dragons and Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.

When Gonzalo Peillat almost singlehandedly spearheaded Argentina to Olympic gold at Rio 2016, Harmanpreet Singh was part of India's gold-medal winning squad at the Junior World Cup.

Nine years later, Gonzalo Peillat may not present as big a threat to the opposition as he did in Rio but Harmanpreet Singh has grown into arguably the best drag-flicker in the world.

Interestingly, neither of the two greats was on the scoresheet when the two teams faced each other in the round-robin phase. One penalty goal each from Nicolas Della Torre and Amandeep Lakra took the match to a shootout which was won by the Toofans 1-1 (4-3).

Tim Brand, Jacob Anderson and Arshdeep Singh have the ability to create chances from open play from the Toofans. The Soormas, who have, at times, struggled to score field goals, will be hoping that Gurjant Singh can work his magic in the attacking circle.

Harmanpreet Singh has also essayed the role of a playmaker sending in long aerials and probing passes to help his teammates find the mark and will be closely watched by the Toofans think-tank.

Dominic Dixon and Bikramjit Singh have both stood tall in goal for the Toofans while the Soormas have the redoubtable Vincent Vanasch who has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Hockey India League competition.

Soorma HC vs Hyderabad Toofans, Hockey India League match details

Match Details: Soorma HC vs Hyderabad Toofans, Semifinal Match, Hockey India League 2024-25

Date & Time: Friday, January 31, 2025, 8:15 PM IST

Venue: Rourkela, India

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

Hyderabad Toofans

Goalkeepers: Vikas Dahiya, Dominic Dixon, Bikramjit Singh

Defenders: Ravindra Akshay Avhad, Mukul Sharma, Amandeep Lakra, Devinder Walmiki, Gonzalo Peillat, Arthur de Sloover, Jacob Anderson, Rajawat Sundaram Singh

Midfielders: Zachary Wallace, Rajinder Singh, Darshan Vibhav Gawkar, Nic Woods, Aakib Rahim Sayyed, Maico Casella, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma

Forwards: Tim Brand, Shilanand Lakra, Rohit Singh, Talwinder Singh, Arshdeep Singh

Soorma HC vs Hyderabad Toofans: Prediction

If the Toofans manage to not concede too many penalty corners, Jeroen Baart's team would be forced to think out of the box during the big encounter.

Getting past Vincent Vanasch from open play will not be easy for Pasha Gademan's chargers who will bank on Gonzalo Peillat and Amandeep Lakra to get them over the line from the top of the circle.

Score Prediction: Soorma HC 1 - 2 Hyderabad Toofans

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.