It will be no easy task for Bangalore Hi-Fliers in the best-of-three finals of the Premier Hockey League. For, they would very well be aware that facing hosts Chandigarh Dynamos in their own den will be a real test.
However, having beaten the same opponents in the final of the second edition of the PHL , Hi-Fliers should have the confidence to go for the title. Not only that, Hi-Fliers have been in good form and all departments in the team have stuck to their duty well.
Barring a couple of forgettable matches like the semifinal against Orissa Steelers on Saturday, the Bangalore boys have been playing as a unit. The team has five current Indian players which gives ample indications of the team's capabilities.
The forwardline is secure in the hands of skipper Tushar Khandekar, Sandeep Michael, GM Hari Prasad, SV Sunil. Khandekar and Sunil are very fast on the flanks and can give the rival defence a trying time. Michael too has had a good run and, if fed well, can be very dangerous as the centre forward. You Hyo-sik is very, very swift, a typical Korean trait. Youngster Cheeyanna has shown he can be rather useful too.
Moving on to the half line, one could not ask for a better combination than Arjun Halappa, VS Vinaya, Vikram Kanth and Bimal Lakra. Halappa has had a fantastic PHL and has done well when it comes to being the attacking midfielder. Lakra was the fulcrum of the team till he got injured a few days ago. Whether he will turn out for the match on Monday is to be seen.
Deep defence
The deep defence is manned well by Len Aiyappa and Ajay Kumar Saroha and first goalkeeper Bharat Chetri.
Drag-flicker Aiyappa’s performance is crucial for Hi-Fliers' success. He is the team's biggest asset and has scored six goals so far. While there can be no doubts about his flicking abilities, good pushing and stopping are crucial for his success.
For the local team, it has been the services of drag-flicker Sandeep Singh that the team has heavily depended on. He has scored eight goals so far.
Dynamos have in their forwardline, Rajpal Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Deepak Thakur and Inderjit Chadha but they have done nothing sensational really. The only extent to which Prabhjot and Thakur have succeeded is that they have been earning penalty corners for Sandeep to come up and do the formalities. Their Pakistan players Ghazanfar Ali and Zeeshan Ashraf have been useful in the midfield and defence.
Talking about the midfield, one who has made a lot of difference in the Dynamos' midfield is Ravi Pal Singh. He has been very swift in his role as the attacking midfielder. His running to the rival circle and feeding to the forwards has been something to note. But all his efforts will only be useful if the team's forwardline clicks.
What Dynamos could bank on is crowd support to charge them up. But the Bangaloreans have been in that situation before and won against the odds. An interesting contest in store indeed.
Ballal confidant
Meanwhile, Bangalore Hi-Fliers coach Ashish Ballal exuded confidence.
"I am more than satisfied with the performance of the team. Even if we did not play too well at times, winning is what matters and we are in the final," Ballal said at a press meet.
Hi-Fliers' skipper Tushar Khandekar felt it does not matter whether goals were from the field or through penalty corners.
"Whether it is a field goal or a penalty corner, a goal is a goal at the end of the day," he said and added: "It is good to have a best-of-three finals. Let the deserving team win."