JOIN USDelhi Waveriders and Uttar Pradesh Wizards will eye the top position in the points table when they meet in the second edition of Hockey India League at the Major Dhyan Chand National stadium on Wednesday.
A win will zoom Waveriders, who are currently at 17 points, ahead of table-toppers Punjab Warriors while Wizards will have a chance of sharing the top position with Warriors, who are at 21 points.
This is the first time the two teams will be meeting in the tournament this year.
Waveriders’ captain Sardar Singh said they would be looking to take early lead against the Wizards. “The Wizards are a different team this year as compared to the inaugural season of HIL. We are practicing very hard and focussing on conceding fewer penalty corners. Wizards have world class players like their captain VR Raghunath who is a great talent. Their team is also very strong in defence. So we will try to put the pressure on the opponent and take the lead early in the match,” Sardar said on the eve of the match on Tuesday.
Wizards’ captain VR Raghunath said he was expecting a thrilling match on Wednesday. “It’s a new match tomorrow. It would be a thrilling encounter. Besides, we need to concentrate on our core strength. We do not want to make the same mistakes we made in the earlier games. We are determined to play our best game tomorrow,” said Raghunath.
Wizards coach Reolant Oltmans said: “It’s an important match for us tomorrow. If we win, we would be at the top of the pool table. If we lose, we have to look at the teams standing below us in the pool table.”