Bhubaneswar, Jan. 15: Kalinga Lancers today appointed German player Moritz Furste as the team captain for the current season.
The tournament begins on January 18 when the home team will play against Uttar Pradesh Wizards in the inaugural match of the fourth edition of Hockey India League (HIL).
The addition of Furste is being considered as the biggest strength to the Lancers. He was named the Euro Hockey League's most valuable player in 2007-08 and 2009-10. He had also captained Ranchi franchise, which went on to become the champion in the first edition of HIL in 2013. Furste has featured in 256 international matches and has 109 goals to his name.
"We have a balanced team of young and experienced players. Besides, the team has a number of attacking players. We are hopeful of making it to the semi-finals," said Furste.
The home team today also launched the team jersey for this year's tournament. The organisers said that the jersey with a slogan "Odisha: New Opportunities" has been designed to promote industrial opportunities in the state.
The franchise owner, Odisha Sports Development and Promotion Company (OSDPC), which has been jointly formed by Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), is hopeful of the home team putting up a spirited performance. "We are hopeful of a good turnout during the matches. Kalinga Lancers has all the potential to become the champions of this season," said managing director of Idco and chief executive officer of OSDPC Sanjay Kumar Singh.
Tickets are sold both online and at the counter in front of the Kalinga Stadium. The west and east stand ticket prices for the inaugural match are Rs 150 and Rs 100 respectively. However, for the rest of the matches, the price of tickets for west and east stand would be Rs 100 and Rs 50 respectively. Hockey lovers can also book the ticket online at www.bookmyshow.com.
In the rest of the four home matches, Lancers will meet Dabang Mumbai on January 21, Delhi Wave Riders on February 5, Punjab Warriors on February 7 and Ranchi Rays on February 8 respectively.
