Hockey
Kalinga Lancers defeat Ranchi Royals to win Men’s Hockey India League title
Home side edge Ranchi Royals 3-2 in a close final at Bhubaneswar to lift the HIL crown.
Vedanta Kalinga Lancers defeat Ranchi Royals to win Men’s Hockey India League title (Photo credit: HI)
Kalinga Lancers were crowned champions of the Men’s Hero Hockey India League after defeating Ranchi Royals 3-2 in a tightly contested final at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Playing in front of home supporters, the Lancers produced a composed performance to secure the title.
Alexander Hendrickx scored twice from penalty corners, while Dilpreet Singh added a crucial field goal for the Lancers. Ranchi Royals responded through Araijeet Singh Hundal and captain Tom Boon but fell just short in the closing moments.
The final began at a high tempo, with both teams creating early chances inside the circle. Vedanta Kalinga Lancers struck first in the fourth minute when Hendrickx converted a penalty corner with a powerful drag-flick. Ranchi Royals responded quickly, equalising in the ninth minute as Araijeet Singh Hundal finished neatly after a long aerial pass from the left flank.
The second quarter proved decisive. The Lancers applied sustained pressure and earned multiple penalty corners. In the 25th minute, Hendrickx’s initial effort was saved, but Dilpreet Singh reacted fastest to score from the rebound. Two minutes later, Hendrickx found the top corner with another drag-flick to give the hosts a 3-1 lead at half-time.
Ranchi Royals controlled more possession in the second half and pushed hard to get back into the match. Lancers goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak made a series of important saves to deny the Royals, including close-range efforts from Tom Boon and Sam Lane.
The Royals pulled one back in the 59th minute through Boon’s penalty corner goal, but they ran out of time to find an equaliser as the Lancers held firm to seal the win.
Vedanta Kalinga Lancers received INR 3 crore as champions, while runners-up Ranchi Royals earned INR 2 crore. Hyderabad Toofans finished third and took home INR 1 crore. Tom Boon ended the tournament as top scorer with 19 goals, while Amandeep Lakra was named Player of the Tournament.