HOCKEY INDIA LEAGUE | Tigers and Pipers want to avoid the travails of sudden death

A summit clash between Shrachi Bengal Tigers and SG Pipers in the Women’s Hockey India League should have come with a statutory warning saying: ‘Not for the faint of heart.’ For on each of the last two occasions these sides have met, a sudden death was required to separate them.

Obviously, the Tigers coach Deepak Thakur would rather such a scenario not unfold at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Stadium on Saturday.

“I would want to get a win within time. A final is anybody’s game. It will all be about the ‘runs.’ Let’s see which team has got more power in their legs. Eventually, that team is going to thrive,” he said.

Sofie Gierts, the Pipers’ gaffer, believes possession would dictate the passage of play.

“Over the last three games, we managed to do better in ball possession but not in non-ball possession. Sometimes, it is just the opposite. In the final, we must be consistent in both aspects. That will be the most important thing.”

Having tried out six captains in as many games, the Tigers have circled back to Vandana Katariya ahead of the final. The former India forward, meanwhile, may have hinted at considering a retirement U-turn during the pre-match press conference, saying, “I have been following the same discipline they used to follow in (national) camps. Based on my performance, if they require me to help in any capacity, be it as a player or someone who mentors the side, I will be more than happy to do it.”