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With a win percentage of 64.29 in the first season, reigning HIL champions Ranchi Rhinos will start their campaign this season on 26th January when they will lock horns with the Lucknow based franchise – Uttar Pradesh Wizards.
Hero HIL 2014, which starts from January 25 will see the addition of one new team in the form of Kalinga Lancers (Bhubaneshwar). So this time the competition gets a lot more tougher as a total of six teams will battle it out for the prestigious Hero HIL trophy and apart from the trophy the winning team also gets a whooping amount of Rs. 2.5 crores and the runners- up will end getting 1.25 crores.
TEAM OVERVIEW
OWNER - Patel-Uniexcel Group
HEAD COACH - Gregg Clark
ASSISTANT COACH - Baljit Singh Saini
MANAGER - David John
CAPTAIN - Moritz Furste
HOME STADIUM - AstroTurf Hockey Stadium,Ranchi (Capacity-6000)
SLOGAN - ‘Nas Nas Mein Hockey’
TEAM COMPOSITION
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | COUNTRY |
| Francisco Juancosa Cortés | Goalkeeper | Spain |
| Sushant Tirkey | Goalkeeper | India |
| Mandeep Singh | Forward | India |
| Pradhdeep Singh | Forward | India |
| Vikash Chaudhary | Forward | India |
| Ashley Jackson | Forward | England |
| Floris Evers | Forward | Netherlands |
| Stanli Victor Minz | Forward | India |
| Amon Mirash Tirkey | Forward | India |
| Eduard Arbos Dorras | Forward | Spain |
| Arvind Kujur | Forward | India |
| Parvinder Singh | Forward | India |
| Austin Smith | Midfield | South Africa |
| Barry Middelton | Midfield | England |
| Kothajit Singh | Midfield | India |
| Manpreet Singh | Midfield | India |
| Moritz Fuerste | Midfield | Germany |
| Marcos Salles | Midfield | Spain |
| Bipendra Lakra | Midfield | India |
| Sukhmanjit Singh | Defender | India |
| Sumit Topno | Defender | India |
| Justin Reid Ross | Defender | South Africa |
| Amit Rohidas | Defender | India |
| Bosco Perez | Defender | Spain |
ABOUT THE CAPTAIN
Moritz Fuerste
Member of the German hockey team who won the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, Moritz Fuerste was bought by Ranchi Rhinos for $75,500 in the first season to lead their team.
28-year-old Fuerste, who guided Ranchi Rhinos to glory in the first ever Hockey India League was awarded the FIH 2012 Player of the Year.
However the Rhinos team will miss the services of their German captain for the first two matches of the tournament as he has some prior commitments and will join the team only after Jan 27.
PERFORMANCE IN 2013
Ranchi Rhinos played outstanding hockey as they emerged champions in the inaugural edition of the Hero HIL. With 7 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, Ranchi Rhinos finished second in the league phase behind Delhi Waveriders.
After finishing second in the league phase, they qualified for the semifinal stage and then it was all Rhinos as they first outclassed the Uttar Pradesh Wizards 4-2 and then defeated Delhi 2-1 in a nail biting final.
KEY PLAYERS
There are a number of match winners in the Ranchi Rhinos team but their key players include the captain and midfielder Moritz Fuerste, Dutch hockey star and forward Floris Evers, Indian teenage hockey sensation and forward Mandeep Singh, 2009 FIH Young Player of the year and English midfielder/striker Ashley Jackson, Indian midfielder Birendra Lakra, Spanish goalkeeper Franciso Cortes and defenders Justin Reid Ross and Amit Rohidas.
Other key players who can be prove very handy for the Rhinos team includes the Spanish forward and member of the 2008 Olympics silver medal winning squad Eduard Arbos and Indian midfielder Kothajit Singh.
PREDICTION
The primary goal of the Ranchi Rhinos team would be to make it to the knockout stage of the tournament but with nearly a perfect combination of young and experienced players, the Rhinos team is expected to finish in the top two.
SCHEDULE OF RANCHI RHINOS
Match No | Date | Time | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
2 | Sunday 26 January | 18:00 | Ranchi Rhinos | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Ranchi |
4 | Monday 27 January | 20:00 | Ranchi Rhinos | Delhi Waveriders | Ranchi |
9 | Saturday 1 February | 15:00 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Ranchi Rhinos | Lucknow |
13 | Tuesday 4 February | 20:00 | Ranchi Rhinos | Dabur Mumbai Magicians | Ranchi |
16 | Friday 7 February | 20:00 | Ranchi Rhinos | Kalinga Lancers | Ranchi |
20 | Sunday 9 February | 20:00 | Dabur Mumbai Magicians | Ranchi Rhinos | Mumbai |
22 | Wednesday 12 February | 20:00 | Delhi Waveriders | Ranchi Rhinos | Delhi |
24 | Friday 14 February | 20:00 | Kalinga Lancers | Ranchi Rhinos | Bhubaneswar |
28 | Sunday 16 February | 20:00 | Jaypee Punjab Warriors | Ranchi Rhinos | Mohali |
30 | Wednesday 19 February | 20:00 | Ranchi Rhinos | Jaypee Punjab Warriors | Ranchi |
