Hockey India League: Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Hyderabad Toofans, where to watch, preview, prediction, and team news

Five days after being blanked 0-4 by Hyderabad Toofans in a round-robin match of the ongoing Hockey India League, Tamil Nadu Dragons take on Pasha Gademan's side again in a pool game on Thursday (January 23).

Powered by a penalty corner brace from Gonzalo Peillat, the Toofans caused a major flutter by ending the Dragons' juggernaut of four successive wins. Rein van Eijk's team is certain to come back stronger even as the battle in the top half of the points table gets more intriguing a week ahead of the playoffs.

The Toofans need a win to rise to the top of the league standings while one point will be sufficient for the Dragons to reclaim the top spot.

One bad day in the office after what has been an incredible campaign for the Dragons may not count for much, but the Tamil Nadu side will be wary of their opponents who have grown into the competition with every game.

The Toofans, who did not have the best of starts, have been unbeaten in their last four outings with two big wins including a 5-1 triumph over the Kalinga Lancers.

What makes the Hyderabad side even more dangerous is that they are no longer dependent solely on Gonzalo Peillat to find goals from penalty corners with Tim Brand and Arthur de Sloover also getting on the scoresheet consistently.

Thursday's contest also promises to be a battle of goalkeepers with both David Harte and Dominic Dixon having had a good tournament thus far.

Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Hyderabad Toofans, Hockey India League match details

Match Details: Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Hyderabad Toofans, League Match, Hockey India League 2024-25

Date & Time: Thursday, January 23, 2025, 8:15 PM IST

Venue: Rourkela, India

Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Hyderabad Toofans: Full Squads

Tamil Nadu Dragons

Goalkeepers: David Harte, Arasu Senthamizh, Prince Deep Singh

Defenders: Jip Janssen, Kothajit Singh, Anand Lakra, Pruthvi GM, Moritz Ludwig, Anand Y, Amit Rohidas

Midfielders: Chandan Yadav, Blake Govers, Thomas Sorsby, Shesha Gowda, Dhilipan M, Arun J, Tom Craig, Mohd. Raheel

Forwards: Martin Zwicker, Sudev Abharan, Karthi Selvam, Ganesh Majji, Nathan Ephraums, Uttam 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: Timothy Daniel, Shilanand Lakra, Rohit Singh, Talwinder Singh, Arshdeep Singh

Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Hyderabad Toofans: Prediction

Jip Janssen will be keen to increase his Hockey India League tally for the Dragons from the top of the circle even as Gonzalo Peillat managed to regain his scoring touch in the last game.

With little to choose between the two sides in terms of their penalty corner prowess, the team that manages to create chances from open play will have the edge in the high-stakes Southern derby.

Score Prediction: Hyderabad Toofans 2 - 4 Tamil Nadu Dragons

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.