A star-studded Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) hasn’t played very well, even the team management admitted it as much. A few of its players fell ill on arrival, a few have injuries. As a team that adjusts to the situation and plays well within its limitations, IOC has done that reasonably well.
When it takes on Central Secretariat (CST) in the semifinals of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup All-India hockey tournament here on Saturday, it will hope its star players — all internationals including Deepak Thakur, V.R. Raghunath, S.K. Uthappa, Affan Yousuf, Gurjinder Singh and Roshan Minz — rise to the occasion and make it count.
After a moderate performance, CST upped the ante in a must-win match against Punjab and Sind Bank, with a thumping show. But it will have to come up with something special to overcome IOC.
Under the radar
Punjab National Bank (PNB) was under the radar in its first two matches. It lost badly to Bengaluru HA, but slowly got into the groove with a win over Air Force. Against Indian Army, it played to a wonderful structure, defending well and attacking in waves.
Mandeep Mor showed why he is rated so high with a wonderful drag flick against IOC in their last group match for a 3-3 draw, a goal that ensured it reached the knock-out. PNB’s head coach Romesh Pathania will hope his team puts up a strong show against Indian Navy, which has been the best team, without a doubt.
Possessing only a junior International in Sunny Malik, Navy has been exceptional. If the performance in the group stages is any indication, Navy will be the team to beat.