Bengal Tigers face Dragons, Soorma take on Toofans in HIL semis

Rourkela, Jan 30 (PTI) Table-toppers Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers will take on Tamil Nadu Dragons, while JSW Soorma Hockey Club will battle Hyderabad Toofans in the semifinals of the Hockey India League here on Friday.

Bengal Tigers finished at the top of the standings with 19 points from 10 games, edging out JSW Soorma on inferior goal difference.

Hyderabad Toofans and Tamil Nadu Dragons (both 18 points) secured the remaining two semifinal spots.

Delhi SG Pipers, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, Team Gonasika and UP Rudras were eliminated.

For the Bengal Tigers, Jugraj Singh has been their standout performer, scoring nine goals.

"It has been a rollercoaster journey. But I’m pleased we’ve achieved our first goal of reaching the semifinals. Moving forward, we’ll focus on executing our strategies and plans on the field to get the best results,” said Bengal Tigers captain Rupinder Pal Singh.

JSW Soorma Hockey Club captain Harmanpreet Singh leads their goal tally with five strikes.

"We didn’t have the ideal start, struggling to get the results we wanted initially. However, we kept improving with each match, and that helped us get back on track. We even performed well under pressure in some of our recent games," Harmanpreet said.

"But the real challenge starts now, and we want to be fully prepared. We know our strengths and weaknesses, so we’ll train and plan for the semifinals accordingly." Tim Brand and Gonzalo Peillat have each netted six goals for the Hyderabad franchise.

For Tamil Nadu Dragons, Jip Janssen has been their top scorer with six goals.

The first semifinal will be between Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers and Tamil Nadu Dragons before JSW Soorma take on Hyderabad Toofans.

The Tigers previously lost 1-2 to the Dragons in the group stage, while the Soorma’s game against the Toofans ended 1-1 in the regulation time. The Toofans prevailed 4-3 in the shootout. PTI PDS PDS TAP