Do-or-die match for Hi-Fliers

With their backs to the wall, Bangalore Hi-Fliers will guard against...

With their backs to the wall, Bangalore Hi-Fliers will guard against conceding early goals in the second final of the Premier Hockey League against Chandigarh Dynamos at the Sector 42 Stadium here tomorrow.

The Hi-Fliers were 0-2 down after the first seven minutes of the first final as they eventually lost 2-3, which makes tomorrow’s match a must-win for them to keep the issue alive.

They have to sort out several problems in their ranks and the major challenge would be to bolster their shaky defence where players poke at opposition strikers instead of tackling them with confidence.

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“Yesterday, they scored a couple of quick goals and that made all the difference. We need to concentrate on our defence more,” Hi-Fliers skipper Tushar Khandekar said on the eve of the crucial encounter.

The other area of concern would be the failure of their trump card Len Aiyappa.

The powerful drag-flicker could not convert any of the six penalty corners the side got in their defeat in the first final.

Chandigarh Dynamos’ ace forward Prabhjot Singh is out of action for at least 10 days due to a finger injury, but Khandekar does not believe it is a major advantage for his team.

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Dynamos captain Rajpal Singh has led from the front and would take the initiative in gaining short corners in order to make the best use of in-form drag-flicker Sandeep Singh.