Women\u2019s Hockey India League<\/a>, three teams have one win each. The one team that couldn\u2019t win their opening match \u2013 Soorma Hockey Club \u2013 had perhaps played the best attacking hockey. The initial signs point to the four-team league phase being unpredictable and open.<\/p>\nOn Tuesday, Ranchi Royals produced a five-star performance against Shrachi Bengal Tigers at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium in Ranchi on Tuesday. There was a local flavour on the scoresheet too with Jharkhand\u2019s very own Beauty Dungdung (14\u2032) and Sangita Kumari (44\u2032) netting, apart from Lucina von der Heyde (33\u2032,57\u2032) and Hannah Cotter (10\u2032).<\/p>\n
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Royals, who replaced last edition\u2019s champions Odisha Warriors in the league, came into the season with pre-auction trades and the theme was unmissable. Sangita, Beauty, Deepika Soreng \u2013 from the hockey nursery that is Simdega, not far away from Ranchi \u2013 and local superstar Nikki Pradhan were all brought on board. Without the home-away format in place, they are truly at home. But the opening match didn\u2019t go their way against SG Pipers.<\/p>\n
But in their second outing, they outplayed the Tigers across the pitch, thanks to a strong start. Scoring twice in the opening quarter meant Tigers couldn\u2019t repeat what they did against Soorma on Monday \u2013 take the lead and lean on the quality of their deep defence to see it through. The 5-0 win would perhaps Royals the early favourites.<\/p>\n
Tigers, though, can still bank on the quality of their Argentine superstar Agustina Gorzelany to win them matches single-handedly. The foremost dragflcker in the women\u2019s game \u2013 alongside Yibbi Jansen who is not playing this edition \u2013 Gorzelany captained the team in the second match but didn\u2019t get enough opportunities to test Royals, with Tigers winning just a solitary PC.<\/p>\n
On most other nights, they can count on the league\u2019s most expensive signing to score. Lalremsiami \u2013 player of the match a day before \u2013 can step up as the leading Indian star for the side after a storming all-round display in their opener.<\/p>\n
Pipers, who managed just one win in the first edition, looked solid in their opening win too with captain Navneet Kaur stepping up. If Deepika \u2013 who is returning after a long injury layoff \u2013 can manage to find her scoring touch too, they have two Indian stars capable of leading the charge this season, backed up by solid overseas quality.<\/p>\n
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Which brings us finally to Soorma HC, who were unlucky \u2013 or more pertinently, profligacy \u2013 to get nothing from the match against Tigers on Monday. Last year\u2019s finalists opted for continuity in the backroom by sticking with former India international Jude Menezes as the head coach and Rani Rampal assisting him on the sidelines. They\u2019d need to quickly find a solution to penalty corner attacks, having squandered as many as 13 against Tigers without scoring, but their overall forward play was easily the most fluent among all four teams so far.<\/p>\n