Match between Kalinga Lancers and Ranchi Rays under way at Kalinga Stadium. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 22: Home team Kalinga Lancers began their journey in the third season of the Hockey India League (HIL) with a thumping 6-3 victory against Ranchi Rays today at Kalinga Stadium in the city.
Kalinga Lancers player Lucas Villa from Argentina scored the first goal within three minutes after the game started. By the end of the first quarter, the scoreline was 1-1. The last two goals for the Lancers came five minutes before the final whistle. Amir Khan won the Spectacular Goal award, while Vickram Kanth won the Man of the Match award.
Former Olympian and Indian captain Dillip Tirkey was anxiously observing the proceedings on the turf from the team dug out. Arjuna awardee and former national team captain Jude Felix Sebastian, the coach of the team, was also present.
Sabyasachi Mishra and Archita Sahu perform at the inaugural ceremony
'I'm proud of my boys, and the following matches will see even better performances from them, especially the penalty corner conversions,' said Tirkey. The first major hockey event of the year for the international hockey calendar as well as the city, the HIL is one of the most awaited events for the sports lovers here.
Over 5,000 hockey fans witnessed the match cheering fervently for their favourite team. 'We could not ask for anything better. We enjoyed every moment of the match,' said Richa Saha, one of the spectators.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the match. During the inaugural ceremony, Odia film stars Archita and Sabyasachi gave a spectacular performance that was appreciated by the viewers. The dance item saw the stars performing at the centre while young artistes were enacting playing hockey dressed in jerseys. This was followed by a laser show and brilliant fireworks.
'The laser show and fireworks were wonderful, and the dance item was also very appealing. However, I still expected it to be much better since it is such a big event. The authorities could have invited other stars to add more glamour to it,' said Parikshit Mohanty, a sports lover.
Police made arrangements for the match today. Three platoons of police were deployed for the match, while there were policemen dressed in plain clothes inside the stadium. Adequate traffic arrangements were also made to ease congestion around the stadium,' said deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi.
The remaining HIL matches in the city are scheduled on January 31, February 1, 12 and 13 when KalingaLancerswill play against Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Punjab Warriors, Delhi Wave Riders and Dabang Mumbai, respectively.
