Karamjit's late winner puts BPCL in hunt for title

With both teams level on 15 points the BPCL-Army Red match was billed as the title decider. Last edition runners-up BPCL, however, seemed heading towards their first defeat in the league but rallied back to notch up a hard-fought victory, thanks to Karamjit Singh’s late winner.

With just one match left, BPCL lead the standings with 18 points from six matches while Army Red remain static on 15 points. Defending champions India Oil Corporation Limited lie third on 13 points.

Rajesh Lakra gave Army Red the lead in the 13th minute and the scoreline remained the same until half-time.

After the breather, BPCL levelled through a field goal from Pundalik in the 51st minute. And when it looked like the contest meandering towards a draw, BPCL earned a penalty corner two minutes from final hooter. Karamjit converted it to put BPCL 2-1 up.

BPCL take on arch rivals IOCL in the final league clash on Sunday while Army Red face Fortis.

Results: BPCL: 2 (Pundalik Bellary 51st; Karamjit Singh 68th) bt Army Red: 1 (Rajesh Lakra 13th); IOCL: 5 (Prabhjot Singh 11th, 33rd, 59th; Ramandeep 24th; Deepak Thakur 60th) bt Fortis: 1 (Yuvraj Valmiki 43rd).