Tamil Nadu Dragons began their Men’s Hockey India League campaign with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Hyderabad Toofans after the two sides played out a pulsating 3–3 draw in regulation time at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai on Friday.
The Dragons held their nerve in the shootout to win 4–2, with goalkeeper Prince Deep Singh emerging as the hero by saving two attempts to secure a bonus point in the opening match of the season.
The contest burst into life early, with the Dragons taking the lead in the fourth minute through Uttam Singh, who finished from close range after a swift counter-attack earned the game’s first penalty corner. The advantage was doubled minutes later when Thomas Sorsby worked his way into the circle and calmly slotted home.
Hyderabad Toofans responded strongly, pulling one back through Amandeep Lakra’s powerful penalty corner conversion in the 12th minute. The momentum continued into the second quarter as Lakra struck again from another set-piece in the 18th minute to level the scores at 2–2, setting the tone for a fiercely contested encounter.
End-to-end contest ends in shootout
Tamil Nadu Dragons regained the lead early in the third quarter when Karthi Selvam tapped in from close range to complete a well-worked team move. However, the Toofans hit back swiftly, with Arthur De Sloover finding the net from a tight angle to restore parity at 3–3.
The final quarter saw both sides push for a decisive goal, with Hyderabad enjoying spells of pressure. Dragons goalkeeper David Harte produced a series of important saves from penalty corners to keep the scores level, forcing the match into a shootout.
In the tiebreaker, Prince Deep Singh’s composure proved decisive as he denied two Toofans efforts. Raheel Mohammed then converted the winning attempt to seal a 4–2 shootout victory for the Dragons.
All Hockey India League matches are being broadcast live on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 and DD Sports, with live streaming available on Waves and the Hockey India League YouTube channel.
