Rajdhani Royals Face Early Exit After 5-2 Defeat to Manpat

Raipur, October 25: Manpat Titans, led by Pradeep Mor, recorded a 5-2 victory over Rajdhani Royals in the Chhattisgarh Hockey League on Sunday evening. The defeat has made it very likely that Rajdhani Royals will be knocked out of the tournament early, as they failed across all departments of the game.

The first quarter was sluggish, with both teams largely circulating the ball in midfield for the first 15 minutes. Rajdhani Royals managed to enter the Titans' circle only rarely. However, Manpat gained momentum at the end of the quarter and created an opportunity inside the circle, where Manish Vatti scored to open the account for his side.

Rajdhani Royals attempted a quick comeback. Roshan sent a pass from outside the circle to Aniket, who converted it to make the score 1-1. About 30 seconds later, Roshan dribbled past Manpat goalkeeper Alfaz Khan and scored, but the referee cancelled the goal, leaving Roshan completely surprised.

Manpat took full advantage of the chance. Sandeep Thakur finished off an excellent pass from midfield, giving his team a 2-1 lead at half-time. Lalit showcased fine skill by scooping the ball from far out to Roshan, who converted it. In the same quarter, Mohit Nayak's 'reverse flick' added another goal and strengthened Manpat's position.

Following that, Lalit's side produced some ordinary play, which Prince exploited to score and extend the Manpat Titans lead to 4-2. Essentially, the match was over for Rajdhani Royals at that stage, since they could not create any major attacks afterward. Their biggest issue was failing to convert penalty corners, as they did not score from that department.

At the end of the match, Mohit Nayak was selected as 'Striker' and 'Player of the Tournament'.

On October 26, Sanskardhani Strikers will meet Baladila Bulls, and Chakradhar Champions will face Manpat Titans.

Meanwhile, Nyayadhani Nights secured a 4-1 win over Baladila Bulls, which has nearly guaranteed them a semi-final place in the first Chhattisgarh Hockey League. Nyayadhani Nights have won all three matches they have played so far and now sit at the top of the points table. The Bulls remain at the bottom of the standings without a single win. Drag-flicker Chirag was the star of the match, scoring a hat-trick, while the opposition's only goal came from Jaskaran Singh. For his outstanding performance, Chirag was named 'Striker' and 'Player of the Match'.