HIL to begin in Bhubaneswar, semis & fil in Ranchi

New Delhi, Jan 7: The fourth edition of Coal India Hockey India League’s opening match will be played in Bhubaneswar on January 18, while another hockey-crazy small city, Ranchi, will host the semi-fils and fil (February 21) for the third time in four years, it was announced on Thursday.

The six franchises battling for supremacy in the richest field hockey league in the world are Chandigarh-based Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Delhi Waveriders, Kalinga Lancers, Lucknow-based Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Dabang Mumbai and defending champions Ranchi Rays.

The opening match of the tourment will be played between the Kalinga Lancers, who made the biggest buy of the season at S105,000 of German Moritz Fuerste and Uttar Pradesh Wizards, who were able to draft in the young Indian forward Akashdeep Singh for $84,000. The match will be staged at the Kalinga Stadium on January 18.

The time of the matches during the league phase has been kept at a comfortable time for the audience at 6.00 PM, while the first semi-fil (February 20) and third place (February 21) matches will kick off at 5.30 PM. The second semi-fil (February 20) and the fil (February 21) will begin at 5.30 PM.

Defending champions Ranchi Rays will open their account in a 2015 fil rematch against Jaypee Punjab Warriors in Chandigarh on January 19. The following day in Chandigarh will see the match between Warriors and Waveriders, who will play their first match. IANS