Press Trust of India
Lucknow, Jan 28: Star-studded Uttar Pradesh Wizards will look to break their winless streak while Kalinga Lancers will aim to get back to winning ways when they clash in the Hockey India League (HIL) here Wednesday.
Post their draw against Delhi Waveriders and a defeat to Jaypee Punjab Warriors, the VR Raghunath-led Wizards will have to run the extra mile. Currently placed at the bottom of the table with three points, the Wizards need to clinch five match points to gain a better position in the league. Their line-up includes goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, Australian midfielder Eddie Ockenden, Spanish midfielder David Alegre, Dutch forward Jeroen Hertzberger with Roelant Oltmans as the head coach.
The Lucknow-based team will continue with their previous game-plan of earning maximum penalty corners and convert the opportunities in goals with the help of experienced penalty corner specialist Raghunath.
However, Kalinga Lancers will stick to their strategy of surprise attacks and capitalising on the opponents’ mistakes. Considered the dark horse of the tournament, the Lancers have enough confidence to stun the Wizards and earn full points. Lancers need to win this match for their fans before they return to Bhubaneswar for two back-to-back matches January 31 and February 1.
Speaking after the practice session, UP coach Oltmans said, “We hope to continue the good form. It will be a different game altogether. So far, in this season, we had one draw and we lost a game and in this game, we are looking forward to register our first win of this season.”
Lancers coach Jude Felix, however, said, “We know all the teams are tough and strength wise all are more or less equals. We understand this thing, so we are not taking much pressure for the upcoming challenges from the teams.”
