In the 9th match of the Chhattisgarh Hockey League, Mainpat Titans defeated Chakradhar Champions 3-1. With this victory, the team has climbed to the second position in the points table. For Mainpat, Sandeep scored two goals from penalty corners, while Yuvraj Walmiki netted the lone goal for the Champions. The match was witnessed by several dignitaries, including Mr. Vishwa Vijay Singh Tomar, Chairman of the Chhattisgarh State Youth Commission; Mr. Soumil Ranjan Choubey, MD of the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board; Mr. Kailash Murarka, Vice President of the Archery Association of India; and Mr. U.P. Singh, Vice President of Jindal Power and Steel.
The first quarter between Chakradhar Champions and Mainpat Titans unfolded differently than expected. Although both teams are known for their goal-scoring prowess, no goals were scored in the opening 15 minutes. The teams spent the time sizing each other up, resulting in few scoring opportunities and no penalty corners.
In the second quarter, Walmiki outmaneuvered some of the Titans’ defenders and got past goalkeeper Alfaz Khan to score his first goal. Four minutes later, Sandeep Kumar scored for Mainpat, leveling the score for his side.
Against the run of play, the Titans pulled off a brilliant move to take the lead before the final quarter. Defender Anand Lakra scooped the ball from his own half; as it descended in front of goalkeeper Vaibhav Singh Chandel, Sahil Zaksa deflected it into the goal, catching the Chakradhar side completely off guard.
Sandeep then converted another penalty corner—his second goal of the match—to seal the victory for the Mainpat Titans, who were sporting their red-and-white jerseys. Following this, a comeback for the Champions became impossible, and they suffered their first defeat of the tournament.
Ultimately, the key difference between the two teams was how the Titans contained Sunil in the midfield. The experienced player was denied any opportunity to deliver the ball to the forwards, and whenever he approached the circle, he found himself surrounded by at least four defenders.
- Thanks to five goals from Jaskaran Singh, the Bailadila Bulls managed to secure a draw against the Sanskardhani Strikers.
In today’s first match, the contest between the Sanskardhani Strikers and the Bailadila Bulls ended in a 5-5 draw. Jaskaran Singh of the Bulls took charge single-handedly, scoring all the goals for his team. Despite this stellar performance, the Bulls have yet to register a win in the league. The Sanskardhani Strikers, too, remain without a victory. The match was also attended by MLA Shri Dharamlal Kaushik, Shri Manoj Shah (Head of Operations at Sarda), and Shri Arun Dwivedi (Head of the Chhattisgarh Judo Association).