Ageing captain, coach seeking redemption and on-fire Indian core: How Bengal Tigers won the Hockey India League

“That was the crushed I wrote that message,” Rupinder told The Indian Express with a knowing chuckle, reflecting connected Tigers’ HIL triumph successful Rourkela past Saturday. “Some radical thought the squad wouldn’t triumph because, archetypal of all, I haven’t played high-level hockey for 3-4 years which was a agelong gap. The remainder of the squad mostly had youngsters and home players. Of course, we had Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek and Jugraj Singh from the nationalist setup. Even among our overseas players, lone 3-4 are inactive representing the nationalist team. Maybe that’s wherefore immoderate radical thought we couldn’t triumph the league.”

CHAMPIONS! 🏆@srbt24 #HeroHIL #HockeyKaJashn #HockeyIndiaLeague #HILFinal #HIL @TheHockeyIndia @FIH_Hockey pic.twitter.com/wpIMpKTnF5

— Hockey India League (@HockeyIndiaLeag) February 1, 2025

In Rupinder and Colin Batch, they had an India-Australia captain-coach operation that doesn’t fluster easily. And some of them had a constituent to prove.

After the thrilling 4-3 triumph against Hyderabad Toofans that saw the Bengal franchise crowned arsenic champions, India caput manager Craig Fulton utilized the connection ‘efficient’ to picture them. When asked if helium saw a small spot of his ain defend-to-win mantra successful the mode the Tigers played, the South African agreed. “I thought the Toofans were the favourites, but the Tigers defended precise well. They work the semifinal and last well. Let’s beryllium honest, they had a spot of luck successful the semifinal, and erstwhile it happens successful sport, you tally with it.”

First, they started the play with 3 outright wins, past suffered a monolithic defeat. Eventually, they topped the league signifier aft 10 matches, fought done a pugnacious semifinal wherever they were 0.02 seconds (and a arguable umpiring call) distant from exit successful a punishment shootout abrupt death. A time later, they were champions. That’s wherever the 2nd portion of Rupinder’s connection rang true… nether immoderate dire circumstances done the season, the Tigers kept believing adjacent if it wasn’t ever evident to those connected the extracurricular that they were rubric contenders.

A 0-6 reversal

After 3 wins successful 3 – unconvincing arsenic they were – the Tigers were tamed by Kalinga Lancers (who had struggled until that point) successful a sensational 0-6 result. However, neither Rupinder nor Batch work excessively overmuch into it, much than it being a timely footwear up the backside.

“We had to determine however overmuch to absorption connected the 6-0 effect versus what we needed to bash to improve,” Batch told The Indian Express. “We conceded 3 goals successful six minutes, and it was wide we conscionable didn’t crook up. We weren’t marking decently and had nary unit connected the ball. In immoderate respects, that’s easier to hole than method oregon tactical skills. That was a wake-up telephone and we moved connected well.”

WINNER WINNER! 🏆🥇#HeroHIL #HockeyKaJashn #HockeyIndiaLeague #HILFinal #HIL @srbt24 @TheHockeyIndia @FIH_Hockey pic.twitter.com/EYdu8FqffW

— Hockey India League (@HockeyIndiaLeag) February 1, 2025

“In a squad game, it is casual to discourage idiosyncratic oregon constituent retired negatives erstwhile things are not going well,” Rupinder said astir his enactment philosophy. “Everyone knows we didn’t play good successful that match. We admit that we made mistakes. As a captain, I didn’t privation to constituent retired anyone’s errors. We are not losing due to the fact that of 1 player. We suffer together, we triumph together.”

Batch was appreciative of Rupinder’s enactment successful keeping the squad unneurotic implicit a investigating period successful Rourkela. “I benignant of knew him earlier HIL, but having spent much clip with him, I tin accidental he’s a truly bully leader,” Batch said. “He’s precise important for this group, some for the Indian players and the foreigners. And importantly, helium played good done the series. He gives himself a accidental from resistance flicks adjacent if it is present not astatine the aforesaid level arsenic Jugraj’s, helium knows wherever to spot them, and understands a batch astir the opposition. Really, good done to him.”

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, however, was determination to conscionable marque up numbers – helium scored 5 important goals too, contempt managing his minutes.

The Jugraj show

In Abhishek and Sukhjeet, the Tigers arguably had the 2 champion Indian forwards going astir currently, adjacent if they didn’t ever lend straight with goals. Abhishek shone successful a much withdrawn relation and his instrumentality skills came to the fore erstwhile his broadside scored a blistering counterattack – for a important equaliser – successful the semifinal.

In Sukhjeet (named subordinate of the tournament) they had a tireless runner who was often their archetypal enactment of defence successful winning the shot back, his quality to clasp possession successful choky corners winning his teammates’ praise. The experienced overseas contingent dovetailed good with the Indian home players, with Jaskaran Singh, Affan Yousuf and Gursewak Singh impressing.

The prima of the amusement was Jugraj, who finished the tourney arsenic the starring goalscorer with 12 goals from Penalty Corners and benefitted immensely from Rupinder’s leadership. (HIL)

But the prima of the amusement was Jugraj, who finished the tourney arsenic the starring goalscorer with 12 goals from Penalty Corners and benefitted immensely from Rupinder’s leadership. The 28-year-old, who had the estimation of possessing speedy flicks that sometimes lacked accuracy, was connected occurrence from set-piece situations, scoring a hat-trick successful the final. Batch said that helium peculiarly enjoyed however Jugraj understood the value of flicking debased past the goalkeeper.

“Everybody was alert that helium is the No. 1 dragflicker successful the team. But arsenic a senior, my purpose was to support him connected the close way connected the field, to dainty taking the punishment corners and playing arsenic a defender connected the tract arsenic 2 antithetic things. I besides spoke to him astir the angles wherever helium tin deed the balls during the PCs and however galore to deed successful which regions to target,” Rupinder said.

That peculiar facet got the motion of statement from India skipper Harmanpreet Singh, too, who says Jugraj tended to interest astir missing PCs and letting it impact his wide performance.

Rupinder, understandably, is not yet definite astir returning for different season. “I person been sleeping for 2 days aft the league got over,” helium joked. But helium tin remainder casual knowing helium and his streak of Tigers emerged victorious riding connected a elemental mantra that a definite Ted Lasso would approve. Belief.