The new look Dabang Mumbai side will open their campaign against hosts Kalinga Lancers in the 4th tie of the ongoing CIL Hockey India League. The Lancers come into the match on the back a defeat against Uttar Pradesh Wizards in a thrilling encounter in the inaugural match while this would be the Alphas’ first outing at the world’s biggest hockey league.
The Alphas will look to start their campaign on a high after failing to make the semis in their first campaign last year in which they only managed to score a paltry 16 goals. The management went on to retain just 3 players and brought in 17 new players to freshen up the squad. 20-year-old Harmanpreet Singh was the only Indian to be retained by the Alphas, for which who paid a mammoth price of US $51,000.
On the other hand, Lancers will look to bounce back from the defeat they suffered from the hands of UP Wizards in their 1st tie. Despite leading 6-4 till the last minute of the match, they had to taste an unlikely defeat vs the Wizards with Akashdeep scoring the winner with the last touch of the game.
Live Telecast
Date and Time: 21st 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: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar
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
Kalinga Lancers
Goalkeepers: Andrew Charter, Abhinav Kumar Pandey
Defenders: Dipsan Tirkey, Pardeep Mor, Amit Rohidas, Gurjinder Singh, Anand Lakra, Matthew Willis, Matthew Dawson
Midfielders: S K Uthappa, Dharamvir Singh, Moritz Fuerste, Adam Dixon, Quirijn Caspers
Forwards: Malak Singh, Glenn Turner, Stanli Victor Minz, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Devindar Sunil Walmiki
Key Players
Harmanpreet Singh
Indian international Harmanpreet Singh has been a quite a revelation in the world of hockey, especially due to the effect he has made on the men’s senior team. The 20-year-old drag-flick specialist is one of the three players retained by the Mumbai-based franchise Dabang Mumbai for the upcoming edition of the Hockey India League.
His drag-flicking capability will be important in securing the result for the Alphas as well as his defending against the world’s very best players will also be a question that needs to be answered. He was Dabang Mumbai’s top scorer last season and will look to improve on his tally this time round.
Florian Fuchs
German international Florian Fuchs was bought by Dabang Mumbai for a staggering price of US $96,000 at the recently concluded 2016 Hockey India League auction. With this being his debut campaign, Fuchs would like to start with a bang.
With field goals counted as ‘two’, the German’s skill set and shooting skills are a major boost for the Alphas. 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.
Glenn Turner
Australian international Glenn Turner scored 2 of the 3 field goals in by Kalinga Lancers’ opening match and once again will be the most important player for the Lancers when they take to the field against the Alphas. He was awarded ‘Man of the Match’ for his blistering performance in the first tie.
The decorated forward has won almost everything in his career. His accolades include 2 World Cup Gold medals (2010 and 2014), 2010 Commonwealth Games Gold, 2 Champions Trophy Golds (2009 and 2010) and an Olympic Bronze (2012).
The 31-year old striker was also named in the FIH All Star Team 2011 and has represented his home nation on 114 occasions in which he has scored 79 times.
Moritz Fuerste
German international Moritz Fuerste was instrumental in Lancer’s first home match against UP Wizards which ended in defeat for the Lancers. The 33-year old midfielder scored via a drag-flick, but the goal was ruled out as the ball was not stopped outside the circle.
Fuerste is the most expensive player in this year’s CIL HIL as the Lancers secured his services for a whopping US $105,000. He has won a lot of major trophies in his career such as the Olympic Gold in 2008 and a World Cup Gold in 2006.
Form Guide
Dabang Mumbai: –
Kalinga Lancers: L
Kalinga Lancers lost their only match, while Dabang Mumbai will kick off their campaign in Bhubaneshwar.
