All seven goals came off penalty corners, and it was Jugraj Singh's sensational hat-trick that swing the match in the Bengal Tigers' favour. Catch the highlights of the Hockey India League final
The third-place playoff of Hockey India League begins at 5:45pm IST. It will be followed by the grand finale between Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers and Hyderabad Toofans at 8:15pm IST. Both matches will be broadcast on multiple channels and in multiple languages. The line-up includes the Doordarshan network, including DD Sports, as well as the Sony Sports Network - Sony Ten 1, 3, and 4.
Here's how the two teams line up ahead of push-back in Rourkela:
Gurjant strikes in the 12th minute. He sounds the board from close range to put Soorma ahead in the first quarter.
A rollicking end to the first quarter, as Blake Govers equalises for Tamil Nadu Dragons with 20 seconds left on the clock. It was a visionary pass from young Selvam Karthi that set Govers up, and he made the most of it to bring the match back on level terms.
The goals are coming thick and fast. Harjeet Singh, dubbed by the on-air commentator as "the forgotten man of Indian hockey", joins the party with a field goal in the 19th minute to put Soorma back ahead.
Like the first quarter, the second one too has a riveting finish. Soorma have a penalty corner, and their talismanic skipper Harmanpreet Singh steps up to do what he does best - drag-flick injections into goals. But up against him is world-class first-rusher Amit Rohidas, leading the Dragons charge. And Rohidas wins the battle, blocking Harmanpreet's flicks twice to save the Dragons from further damage. We go into half-time with the score at 2-1 in favour of Soorma.
The second half begins, and Soorma are now attacking from left to right, Tamil Nadu Dragons from right to left. The Dragons are on the charge, seeking an equaliser. The Soorma defence up to the task in the early exchanges.
Soorma get a couple of penalty corner opportunities in quick succession. But Harmanpreet fails to connect as well as he is wont to. The India captain's drag-flicking form hasn't been great recently, and it is something he would look to rectify tonight, or in future tournaments.
We will head to the final quarter with Soorma still leading by a slender one-goal margin. The Dragons have shown fighting capability time and again in the league, and will look to summon the same in the last 15 minutes to find a way back into this encounter.
The Dragons have replaced their frontline goalkeeper David Harte with Prince Deep Singh for the fourth and final quarter. That is to abide by the five foreign players rule, as the Tamil Nadu franchise go all out in search of the equaliser.
The Soorma defence is staving off Dragons' attempts adroitly. Meanwhile, Victor Wegnez cops a blow as Amit Rohidas inadvertently hits him on the eye with the stick.
Soorma score another, and that could be it for the match. Prabhjot Singh finds the back of the net for Harmanpreet's men, who now have a two-goal lead with three minutes left in the game.
The Dragons are finally able to impregnate the Soorma defence. It is via a penalty corner conversion, with their star flicker Jip Janssen coming to the party. It cuts the Soorma lead, but just one minute is left on the clock, and Dragons don't find another goal. Soorma win it 3-2 and finish third!
After an intensely fought third-place match, we turn our attention now to the grand finale. Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers will lock horns with the Hyderabad Toofans for the trophy in a few minutes' time. The pushback is slated at 8:15pm, and we have a full house in Rourkela.
Here's how the two teams line up, ahead of the summit clash:
The action gets underway. The Tigers attacking from left to right, and Toofans from right to left. The Bengal players could well be drained from last night's long-drawn affair, which went all the way to sudden death, but they have no time to relax.
The Toofans think they have opened the floodgates with an early goal, but the Tigers ask for a video referral straight away. And the review is upheld, as the ball went off Arshdeep's backstick and hence the goal is disallowed.
The overturned goal doesn't matter, as the Toofans strike two minutes later anyway. It is that man Gonzalo Peillat, the drag-flick expert, whose booming shot beats Tigers goalie James Carr all ends up. The first quarter ends with the Hyderabad club in the lead.
The Tigers are eagerly seeking an equaliser before half time, but the Toofans defence is equal to the task so far. And just as we say this, Bengal have earned a penalty corner and Rupinder Pal Singh lines up for the flick along with Jugraj. It is Jugraj who takes it, and after a re-award, he drives it in to score his 10th goal of the tournament and bring the Tigers back on level terms.
It is turning out to be a battle of penalty corners in the first half. Amandeep Lakra now steps up to convert for the Toofans in the 26th minute. And Hyderabad are in the lead again at half-time.
Jugraj Singh is on fire! The man from Attari has completed a well-deserved hat-trick, scoring in the 32nd and 35th minutes off PC drag-flicks. He is now the top-scorer in Hockey India League with 12 goals. He has also brought the Tigers in the lead for the first time in the match.
The Toofans are not to be subdued. They respond in kind, with Gonzalo Peillat scoring his second goal of the night to bring this thrilling final back on level terms at 3-3. All six goals so far have come off penalty corners.
We head into the fourth and final quarter all squared up at 3-3. This is shaping up to be a cracker of a final. Which way will it swing eventually? We'll find out soon.
The penalty corner party continues. Sam Lane joins in, smashing it into the back of the Toofans net to put the Bengal Tigers ahead now in this see-saw battle. Six minutes still remain, which is a lot of time in hockey.
The seconds tick away, and the final hooter rings out. The Bengal Tigers have clinched the Hockey India League title! They emerge victors after a thoroughly entertaining final, ending up in a 4-3 scoreline in their favour.
Jugraj Singh is deservedly named the Player of the Match for his hat-trick, which took his tournament tally to 12 goals, the highest by any player in Hockey India League 2024-25.