Dabang Mumbai will travel to Punjab to face Chandigarh-based franchise Jaypee Punjab Warriors in their 2nd tie of the 4th edition of the CIL Hockey India League. The Alphas come into the match having suffered a narrow 2-4 loss away to Kalinga Lancers, where the visitors took the lead through Florian Fuchs, but were pegged back with a goal each in the final two quarters by the home team.
On the other hand, the Sardar Singh-led side has had mixed fortunes in the 2016 HIL. The Warriors started their campaign on a positive note by defeating defending champions Ranchi Rays 2-0 at home courtesy of an early goal by Jacob Whetton. However, they were on the wrong side of a 5-4 scoreline against the Delhi Waveriders, a match which saw a very high penalty corner conversion rate.
The Alphas showed great promise in the first match with their Irish custodian David Harte producing some extraordinary saves between the posts, while their ace forward Florian Fuchs opened his account.
Live Telecast
Date and Time: 24th January, 2016 – 5:50 PM (IST)
Telecast: English – Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2; Hindi – Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD3; Digital Platform – Hotstar
Venue: Hockey Stadium of Sports Complex, Sector 42, Chandigarh
SQUAD
Dabang Mumbai
Goalkeepers: David Harte, Xavi Trenchs, Krishan B Pathak
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Matthew Swann, Jeremy Hayward, Gurmail Singh, Andrew Philpott, Diwakar Ram
Midfielders: Nilakanta Sharma, Danish Mujtaba, Vikas Sharma, Tyron Pereira, Manpreet
Forwards: Florian Fuchs, Affan Yousuf, Johan Bjorkman, Gurjant Singh, Roshan Minz, Dylan Wotherspoon
Jaypee Punjab Warriors
Goalkeepers: Jugraj Singh, Tristan Clemons
Defenders: Varun Kumar, Harbir Singh Sandhu, Chris Ciriello, Mark Knowles, Nick Haig, Jasjit Singh Khular
Midfielders: Sardar Singh, Baljeet Singh Boparai, Simon Orchard, Matt Gohdes, Aiyappa Mukkatira Biddappa, Mark Gleghorne
Forwards: SV Sunil, Satbir Singh, Armaan Qureshi, Gurwinder Singh Chandi, Nithin Thimmaiah, Jacob Whetton
Key Players
David Harte
Irish international David Harte was in sensational form between the posts in the Alphas’ narrow defeat to the Lancers. The 27-year-old custodian kicked the ball away into safety without panicking, produced some astonishing saves and was the Alphas’ live spark on the field.
We can expect Harte to be the busy again against the Warriors’ well-oiled attacking unit which comprises of international stars like SV Sunil, Simon Orchard, Jacob Whetton and drag-flick specialist Chris Ciriello. However, Harte, with 3 ‘Goalkeeper of the tournament’ titles in the previous calendar year, will be up for the challenge.
Florian Fuchs
German international Florian Fuchs opened his goal tally against the Lancers in his debut Hockey India League match, scoring from a rebound after the Lancers’ keeper parried away Gurjant’s reverse shot.
The most expensive addition to the Alphas squad and the second most expensive player in this year’s CIL HIL, Fuchs showed great promise and energy in his debut performance. The expectations from the German international are huge considering the amount of money involved, however, it is a given that he has the talent to fire his team to the semis.
Sardar Singh
The current Indian national team skipper Sardar Singh’s services were secured by the Punjab-based franchise Jaypee Punjab Warriors for a price of US $58,000 after the UP Wizards didn’t retain him for this season.
However, the Indian skipper proved his worth in the Warrior’s 2-0 win at home against the defending champions Ranchi Rays in their 1st tie of the campaign, where Sardar Singh controlled the match from the midfield, allowing little time and space to the opposition players.
Chris Ciriello
Australian international Chris Ciriello has made a powerful start to his CIL HIL season, converting a penalty corner in Warrior’s defeat to Delhi Waveriders by the narrowest of margins in their second home tie this season.
The 30-year-old defender has been a rock at the back for the Australian national team while contributing with crucial goals as well, scoring 114 times in 177 caps since making his debut in January 2008.
Form Guide
Dabang Mumbai: L –
Jaypee Punjab Warriors: W – L
(Most recent on the right)
