Jugraj Singh scored a hat-trick as Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers clinched the men's Hockey India League title after beating Hyderabad Toofans 4-3 in the summit clash in Rourkela on Saturday.
Jugraj scored in the 25th, 32nd and 35th minutes, while Sam Lane (54th) added another goal for the Bengal Tigers.
Gonzalo Peillat (9th and 39th) and Amandeep Lakra (26th) were the scorers for the Toofans.
HIL, which began on December 28, 2024, was revived after a gap of seven years.
The title made the Bengal Tigers richer by Rs 3 crore besides the trophy, while Hyderabad Toofans received Rs 2 crore for finishing as runners-up.
It was a tense contest from the first whistle with both teams taking turns to outwit others' defence.
The Tigers employed aerial passes regularly, resulting in a penalty corner four minutes into the game but the Toofans withstood all three attempts on goal from Jugraj.
The Toofans showed more initiative as the quarter progressed and earned a penalty corner of their own. And Gonzalo Peillat stepped up to flick the ball past Tigers' goalie Jamie Carr to hand his side a crucial lead halfway into the first quarter.
The Toofans continued to be on the front foot as the second quarter began while the Tigers remained relevant with occasional counterattacks.
With six minutes left in the quarter, Abhishek earned a penalty corner for the Tigers and Jugraj powered the ball into the left corner with a thunderous drag flick to restore parity.
The Toofans responded by earning a penalty corner in the next minute and Amandeep found the back of the net with a powerful flick to give his team the lead again.
The Tigers slowed down the tempo to create a clear goal scoring chance in the third quarter, resulting in a penalty corner.
And, Jugraj picked out the left bottom corner with another powerful drag-flick to beat Toofans' keeper Bikramjit and level the scores again.
Soon after, from another penalty corner, Jugraj found the back of the net again with another drag-flick to complete his hat-trick and give the Tigers the lead.
The Toofans went on to peg the Tigers into their half minutes later and earned a penalty corner. This time Peillat picked out the bottom right corner to make it 3-3 with lightning quick drag-flick.
The two teams continued to trade chances as the quarter came to a close but neither team was able to seize the lead.
The Tigers began the last quarter on the front foot, earning a couple of penalty corners in quick succession but Tim Brand rushed out to avert any danger to his goal.
After a period of careful probing, they earned another penalty corner and this time Sam Lane got on the scoresheet, beating Bikramjit with his flick and giving the Tigers the lead with six minutes left in the game.
The Toofans rushed ahead in search of an equaliser, resulting in yet another penalty corner but Jamie Carr swatted away Peillat's strike.
The Tigers ran down the clock in the final minutes of the game and sealed their victory.
JSW Soorma beat Tamil Nadu Dragons 3-2 in bronze medal match
JSW Soorma Hockey Club secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Tamil Nadu Dragons to claim the bronze medal in the Hockey India League men's competition.
Goals from Gurjant Singh (12th minute), Harjeet Singh (19th), and Prabhjot Singh (57th) scored for Soorma, while Blake Govers (15th) and Jip Janssen (59th) found the net for the Dragons at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium.
With the win, JSW Soorma pocketed a prize money of Rs 1 crore.
JSW Soorma took the lead in the opening quarter when Gurjant received a pass from Jeremy Hayward and fired it into the net. Soon after, Soorma earned a penalty corner but couldn't convert as Harmanpreet Singh's attempt was deflected out.
In response, the Dragons launched a swift counter-attack, with Karthi Selvam weaving past defenders before delivering a perfect pass to Blake Govers, who dived to his right and slotted the ball between Soorma goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch's legs to equalise in the final moments of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Soorma regained the lead when Harjeet was left unmarked in the circle and chipped a deflected pass from Gurjant over Dragons' goalkeeper David Harte, making it 2-1.
JSW Soorma maintained their attacking momentum, creating multiple circle penetrations to keep the pressure on the Dragons. In the final minute of the first half, Soorma won three consecutive penalty corners, but Harte's brilliant goalkeeping and the Dragons' solid defending kept them at bay.
Tamil Nadu Dragons put Soorma's defence under constant pressure with their relentless attacks in the third quarter. Soorma, however, managed to earn three penalty corners in quick succession although they failed to capitalise on any of them.
Both teams created scoring opportunities in the final quarter. After few missed opportunities, Soorma managed to extend their lead when Gurjant Singh made an excellent run, dribbling past defenders, and set up Prabhjot Singh for a simple finish, making it 3-1 in Soorma's favour.
Late drama unfolded in the final minute as Tamil Nadu Dragons won a penalty corner, and Jip Janssen unleashed a powerful shot to cut the deficit to 3-2.
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