Playing their first home match, Ranchi Royals secured their first win of the Hockey India League season in spectacular fashion, defeating defending champions Bengal Tigers 4-1. FIH Player of the Year 2025, Tom Boon (54′, 60′) led from the front with two goals as the Royals staged a massive late-game comeback while trailing 0-1, scoring four times in the final six minutes to snatch all three points. Ketan Kushwaha (26′) gave Tigers the lead while Mandeep Singh (56′) and Lachlan Sharp (58′) scored the remaining two goals for Royals.
Despite a flurry of attacks from both sides, the first quarter ended in a scoreless deadlock. Late in Q2, Abhishek fired a powerful tomahawk towards the goal, which was expertly deflected into the net by Kushwaha, the youngest player in the HIL. Ranchi pushed hard for an immediate equaliser, and captain Boon nearly found one in the final seconds of the half, but Tigers’ goalkeeper James Carr pulled off a brilliant save to keep the visitors 1-0 up at the break.
The Tigers had several opportunities to extend their lead through penalty corners, but Ranchi’s defensive unit, led by Manpreet Singh and Yashdeep Siwach, kept them at bay. Jugraj Singh had a night to forget with his drag flicks.
However, the final quarter belonged entirely to the home team. The momentum shifted in the 54th minute when Boon dispossessed a Tigers player, played a quick one-two, and fired a clinical reverse hit into the net to level the score at 1-1. Two minutes later, Mandeep found the back of the net with a reverse hit too. With Tigers removing the goalkeeper and playing 11 outfield players in search of an equaliser, Sharp and Boon scored into empty nets to complete a stirring fightback.
Earlier in the day, in a top-of-the-table clash, Kalinga Lancers prevailed against HIL GC, clinching a 3-1 win in the shootout after the two teams were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation time at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium. Ajeet Yadav (19’) and Alexander Hendrickx (23’) scored for their respective sides in regulation time. Goalkeeper Jed Snowden came off the bench for the Lancers in the shootout to secure the win for his side with multiple saves. Notably, Lancers didn’t concede a single penalty corner throughout the contest. Lancers moved to the top of the table while HIL GC moved into second place thanks to the point earned with the draw.
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