Tigers maul Toofans, lay claim to Hockey India League 2024-25 title

Tigers maul Toofans, lay claim to Hockey India League 2024-25 title

In an evening of penalty corner masterclass from both sides, Rarh Bengal Tigers prevailed 4-3 over Hyderabad Toofans in the Hockey India League (HIL) final at a packed Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium on Saturday.

Jugraj Singh starred with a treble while Sam Lane, who had a quiet tournament until the knockouts, struck the decisive goal, handing Tigers their maiden HIL title.

While the tournament’s short corner conversion had been average at best, the final saw the teams with the best exponents of the skill go toe-to-toe.

Jugraj of Tigers had emerged as the penalty corner (PC) expert, Toofans’ Gonzalo Peillat showed why he was the world’s best and his young teammate Amandeep Lakra put his name in the hat as the ‘next big thing’. During the final, all three had their moments.

Peillat struck in the opening quarter to open the scoring and Amandeep rocketed in one to restore the lead after Jugraj’s missile-like hit found the left side of the board.

At half-time, Toofans coach Pasha Gademan insisted on dispossessing the Tigers before they could penetrate the circle. However, his team failed to follow his instructions. Within minutes inside the third quarter, Jugraj showed his class, making it two in two attempts to complete his hat-trick and take his tally to 12 goals.

Jugraj struck a hat-trick of penalty corners and soon there was nothing separating the teams. Both teams had further tries with Jugraj and his skipper Rupinder Pal Singh trying variations without any luck. Then, in the final quarter, Lane found the corner of the goal.

Toofans kept pushing until the end with Peillat looking to rescue his side once again but Tigers’ keeper Jamie Carr kept the ball out.

Toofans was the team to beat and Colin Batch’s Tigers’ know-how of getting past teams came to the fore once again in the decider.