Tamil nady dragons

Spirited UP Rudras: UP Rudras notched up an important 3-1 win against Delhi SG Pipers here at the ongoing Men's Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 at the Birsa Munda Stadium on Saturday. Goals by Floris Wortelboer (30'), Kane Russell (43'), and Tanguy Cosyns (54') helped them bag three points and climb up to No.2 on the points table while Jake Whetton (29') was the lone goalscorer for Delhi SG Pipers who are yet to register an outright victory in the league.

UP Rudras looked like a stronger team on paper with the way they began the quarter. They created more circle entries with compact attack and were stronger than their opponent in terms of ball possession.

Early in the first quarter, they even won the first PC of the match but the chance went begging when Kane Russell teamed up with Sam Ward to bring about a variation in the PC, Ward couldn't quite get the right connection and his strike went wide off the mark. The next few minutes saw Rudras dominate with the ball, and local Odisha lad Sudeep Chirmako showcased some fine attacking skills to foray into the striking circle on a couple of occasions. But the quarter ended with a scoreline reading 0-0.