"Had nothing to lose": Soorma Hockey Club skipper Harmanpreet after win over Kalinga Lancers

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], January 21 (ANI): Following the win over Vedanta Kalinga Lancers in the Men's Hockey India League (HIL), the Soorma Hockey Club skipper Harmanpreet Singh said that the team approached the match with a "nothing to lose" mindset and termed the win as a "very important" one as they continue to fight for a spot in semifinals.

In Match 26 of the Men's Hockey India League (HIL) 2025-26 season at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium on Tuesday, Soorma Hockey Club delivered a stunning performance to beat league leaders Vedanta Kalinga Lancers 2-1. Playing in their final league match, the table-topping Lancers were unable to break down a resilient Soorma side, whose composure kept their slim playoff aspirations alive. Victor Wegnez was named Player of the Match for his magnificent work rate in both attack and defence.

With this win, Soorma Hockey Club is at sixth spot, with two wins, one win via penalty shootout and three losses, giving them eight points. Another victory could give them a shot at final four stage of the competition.

Speaking to ANI, Harmanpreet said, "I think this win was very important for us. But we could have done a little better, we needed to score more. But we are happy to win. Of course, all the teams are good. And no doubt, this (Kalinga Lancers) is a team that is topping the pool and performing well. So the mindset was that we had nothing to lose. We would give our full effort till the very end. And that's what the team did, so the result is in our favour."

Arthur Van Doren, captain of Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, said after the loss, his team struggled to play at their best.

"We played at a lower quality than before. I think the reality is that one team needed three points and did everything they could, and we were already a little bit secured in the top spot. So I think we can only look at ourselves and evaluate what we can do better. So we'll do that and prepare for the semi-final on Friday," he added. (ANI)

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