Kalinga Lancers beat Ranchi Royals to enter Hockey India League final

Kalinga Lancers beat Ranchi Royals 2-1 to book their spot in the Hockey India League final. Goalie Krishnan Pathak credited team discipline, while Ranchi's Mandeep Singh rued missed opportunities. Ranchi will now face Hyderabad Toofans in Qualifier 2.

'Executed what we planned': Kalinga Lancers celebrate final entry

Following the qualification to the final of the Hockey India League finals, Kalinga Lancers goalie Krishnan Bahadur Pathak expressed happiness at his team's performance, execution, and discipline. Vedanta Kalinga Lancers booked their spot in the final of the Men's HIL, securing a 2-1 win against Ranchi Royals at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium on Friday. Ranchi Royals will take on the Hyderabad Toofans in Qualifier 2 on Sunday for a spot in the final. Following his side's win, Krishnan said to ANI, "We had been playing well, executed what we planned. First, the plan was to reach the playoffs and now the goal was to reach the final from this semi-final. The entire team maintained great discipline, following the coach's instructions on how to play. We will see which team reaches the final, and we will prepare accordingly."

Also, Dipsan Tirkey, defender for Kalinga Lancers, expressed how playing in Bhubaneswar is a unique experience. "Playing matches in Bhubaneswar is a unique experience because of the crowd support... We would like to thank the Odisha government and Dilip Tirkey, because of whom this tournament is happening. We followed our plan with discipline, which is why the result was in our favour. We will prepare for the final by watching videos of our opponents, looking into their flaws and into our own mistakes," he said.

'Focus will be on not repeating mistakes': Ranchi Royals' Mandeep Singh

Also, Ranchi Royals and Indian stalwart Mandeep Singh, who scored the sole goal for Ranchi, lamented how his team failed to convert their chances into goals. "They (Kalinga) converted their chances into goals whenever they got an opportunity. We could have defended a little better. Overall, the team performed very well. The next match is very important. The Toofans are a very good team. The focus will be on not repeating the mistakes we made today," he added. (ANI)

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