Hockey
HIL: The best matches from the group stages
With 179 goals scored across 40 matches, the HIL group stage was a spectacle for the fans.
After a seven-year hiatus, the Hockey India League (HIL) is back and for over a month, fans around the country and the globe have been treated to a hockey spectacle.
Eight franchises fought tooth and nail and it took until the very last match of the group stage to decide the semifinalists.
With 40 matches played, and 179 goals scored, every single match in the HIL has had its fair share of excitement.
But some matches were etched in our memories, with excitement reaching palpable levels.
We at The Bridge bring to you our pick of the best matches from the group stages of the HIL.
Tamil Nadu Dragons 2(6)-2(5) Vedanta Kalinga Lancers
Match eight of the HIL, featuring TN Dragons and Kalinga Lancers turned out to be a classic.
After a goalless first quarter, the match sprung into life in the second quarter, with Kalinga Lancers breaking the deadlock
It was Alexander Hendrickx who opened the scoring from the penalty corner in the 24th minute, but just one minute into the second half, the Dragons breathed fire.
Craig Tom equalized in the 31st minute, but once again, in the 43rd minute, Hendrickx scored from the penalty corner, giving his team the lead back.
Not to be outdone by, Jip Jansen, Dragon's drag-flicker, restored parity from a penalty corner, and in the ensuing shootout, the Dragons prevailed 6-5.
Vedanta Kalinga Lancers 3-4 JSW Soorma Hockey Club
Kalinga and Soorma served up a seven-goal thriller in match 11 of the HIL.
Thierry Brinkman opened the scoring for the Lancers in the fifth minute, but the lead lasted for just six minutes, as Jeremy Hayward equalized from a penalty corner in the 11th minute.
Four minutes later, right at the end of the first quarter, Kalinga made it 2-1, thanks to Sanjay's goal.
Della Torre's 35th minute goal made it 2-2 for Soorma but the best was yet to come.
In the final quarter, all hell broke loose, with both teams scoring a combined three goals in three minutes.
At 2-2, it was skipper Harmanpreet Singh's dragflick that made it 3-2 for Soorma. But in under 60 seconds, it became 3-3 thanks to Gursahibjit Singh's strike.
If that wasn't enough, Harish Mutagar made it 4-3 in the very next minute, and thankfully for Soorma, that was that for goals in the match.
Team Gonasika 5-6 Tamil Nadu Dragons
6-5. Yes. You read it right. A scoreline that in all likelihood is very unlikely to happen again.
In the space of two minutes in the first quarter, Araijeet Singh of Gonasika made it 2-0 for his side.
Right at the end of the first quarter, Abrahan Sudev pulled one back for the Dragons.
Jip Jansen made it 2-2 in the 19th minute, and in the 33rd minute, gave Dragons the lead, both goals coming from PCs.
Nikkin Thimmaiah then scored for Gonasika in the 39th minute, followed by Struan Walker converting from the PC, making it 4-3.
But in the final quarter, Jip Jansen completed his hat trick and made it 4-4.
In the 55th minute, Nathan Ephraums made it 5-4 for TN Dragons but the match still wasn't over.
Timothee Clement's goal in the 58th minute looked to be the end of it, and a shootout loomed, but Tamil Nadu's Karthi Selvam had other ideas.
Just one minute later, he darted in from the right and scored a wonderful match-winning goal.
Vedanta Kalinga Lancers 5(3)-5(2) Delhi SG Pipers
Kalinga Lancers might not have qualified for the semifinals, but they played their part in being featured in some of the highest-scoring matches in the HIL.
This match was no different. Match 29 of the HIL served as another classic hockey match filled with goals and capped it off with an exciting penalty shootout as well.
Alexander Hendrickx broke the deadlock for Lancers in this match in the 13th minute, but they were not ready for the storm that hit them.
Delhi Pipers put four past their opponent in the space of six minutes, going from 0-1 down to 4-1 up, all four from penalty corners.
But despite looking defeated, Lancers did not give up. Thierry Brinkman pulled one back in the 35th minute but the three-goal cushion was quickly restored by Dilraj Singh.
Kalinga Lancers in the final quarter gave Delhi the taste of their own medicine, scoring three times in six minutes, making it 5-5 and forcing a shootout.
With momentum on their side, the Lancers won the shootout 3-2, bringing to an end an absolute thriller, in every sense of the word.
JSW Soorma Hockey Club 5-3 Vedanta Kalinga Lancers
Our final match of this list yet again features the Kalinga Warriors.
It is no coincidence that the Lancers were the team that scored the most goals, 42, and conceded the most, 46.
Once again, Kalinga scored the opening goal early in the game, with Diljeet Singh making it 1-0 in the fifth minute.
While Prabhjot Singh made it 1-1 inside the first half, Soorma soon went 3-1 up within five minutes of the start of the second half, but the Lancers pulled one back before the end of the third quarter.
Soorma turned the screws in the fourth quarter, scoring two more goals and despite Gursahibjit Singh scoring a goal late in the final quarter, it was but a consolation goal as the match ended 5-3 for Soorma.
