Jugraj Singh led Shachi Rarh Bengal Tigers to a dominant 4-1 victory over Delhi SG Pipers in the Hero Hockey India League 2024-25 on Saturday in Rourkela. As a result, Bengal Tigers climbed to the top of the points table.
Fast Start and Early Dominance
Delhi suffered their first outright defeat in the tournament. Initially, Jugraj scored twice (17th and 38th minutes) from penalty corners. Additionally, Sukhjeet Singh (1st minute) and Abhishek (47th minute) scored from field play, giving Bengal Tigers a commanding 4-0 lead. This secured their third consecutive win.
Bengal Tigers Maintain Control in First Half
The game started fast with Bengal Tigers taking the lead early. Sukhjeet scored just 30 seconds into the match. Delhi struggled to respond and failed to get a shot on target during the first quarter. Then, in the second quarter, Jugraj doubled the lead with another powerful penalty corner goal. Delhi had their chances, but Bengal goalkeeper Jamie Carr made four crucial saves in the 22nd minute to preserve the lead. Tomas Domene came close in the 27th minute, but his deflection went just wide of the goalpost.
Jugraj and Abhishek Seal the Victory
After the break, Jugraj scored his second goal of the match in the 38th minute, once again converting a penalty corner to make it 3-0. Two minutes into the final quarter, Abhishek tapped in an easy goal to further extend Bengal’s lead to 4-0.
Delhi’s Only Response
However, Delhi managed to pull one goal back in the final seven minutes, with Furlong converting a penalty corner to make it 4-1.
Ultimately, Bengal Tigers maintained their dominance throughout the match and secured the top spot in the league. On the other hand, Delhi will need to regroup after suffering their first defeat.
