Punjab eves face Railways in quarters

Chandigarh, April 26

Punjab will take on two-time defending champions Railways in the quarterfinals of the senior women’s hockey National Championship in Rohtak tomorrow.

The Punjab women will have a chance to avenge their 3-1 loss to Railways in the final last year. Punjab qualified for the quarterfinals after three wins in four matches, including the 11-0 hammering of Assam yesterday.

However, overcoming Railways will be a huge challenge for Punjab. The Railways team includes current and former India players. Deepika and Poonam Rani were part of the team that won the Hockey World League Round 2 recently. Railways are captained by former India striker Anuradha Devi Thokchom.

“We have topped our group. From here on, there is only one goal — to win the title,” Deepika said. “We have a strong team and we are confident.”

Meanwhile, former champions Haryana will play last year’s second runners-up Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy for a place in the semifinals. Haryana were held 2-2 by Maharashtra yesterday. In the other quarterfinals, Odisha will face Madhya Pradesh, while Jharkhand take on Association of Indian Universities. — TNS