An ageing captain, who had announced his retirement from international hockey more than three years back. A head coach who had to step down from his long-standing role with the Australian men’s national team after a shock quarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics. A squad with an average age of 27.5, with half of the overseas contingent well past 30. And 40.5 per cent of their Rs 4 crore purse to build a squad of 24 players spent on just three Indian stars. It’d be fair to say that before the Hockey India League 2024-’25 season began, the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers wouldn’t have been considered overwhelming favourites for the title.
But Rupinderpal Singh’s social media caption said a story. “They didn’t believe in us, we believed in us,” he wrote. The first part of the statement was an acknowledgement from within that they didn’t boast of the strongest unit.
“That was the reason I wrote that message,” Rupinder told The Indian Express with a knowing chuckle, reflecting on Tigers’ HIL triumph in Rourkela last Saturday. “Some people thought the team wouldn’t win because, first of all, I haven’t played high-level hockey for 3-4 years which was a long gap. The rest of the squad mostly had youngsters and domestic players. Of course, we had Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek and Jugraj Singh from the national setup. Even among our foreign players, only 3-4 are still representing the national team. Maybe that’s why some people thought we couldn’t win the league.”
CHAMPIONS! 🏆@srbt24 #HeroHIL #HockeyKaJashn #HockeyIndiaLeague #HILFinal #HIL @TheHockeyIndia @FIH_Hockey pic.twitter.com/wpIMpKTnF5
— Hockey India League (@HockeyIndiaLeag) February 1, 2025
In Rupinder and Colin Batch, they had an India-Australia captain-coach combination that doesn’t fluster easily. And both of them had a point to prove.
After the thrilling 4-3 win against Hyderabad Toofans that saw the Bengal franchise crowned as champions, India head coach Craig Fulton used the word ‘efficient’ to describe them. When asked if he saw a little bit of his own defend-to-win mantra in the way the Tigers played, the South African agreed. “I thought the Toofans were the favourites, but the Tigers defended very well. They read the semifinal and final well. Let’s be honest, they had a bit of fortune in the semifinal, and when it happens in sport, you run with it.”
First, they started the season with three outright wins, then suffered a massive defeat. Eventually, they topped the league phase after 10 matches, fought through a tough semifinal where they were 0.02 seconds (and a controversial umpiring call) away from exit in a penalty shootout sudden death. A day later, they were champions. That’s where the second part of Rupinder’s statement rang true… under some dire circumstances through the season, the Tigers kept believing even if it wasn’t always evident to those on the outside that they were title contenders.
A 0-6 reversal
After three wins in three – unconvincing as they were – the Tigers were tamed by Kalinga Lancers (who had struggled until that point) in a sensational 0-6 result. However, neither Rupinder nor Batch read too much into it, more than it being a timely kick up the backside.
“We had to decide how much to focus on the 6-0 result versus what we needed to do to improve,” Batch told The Indian Express. “We conceded three goals in six minutes, and it was clear we just didn’t turn up. We weren’t marking properly and had no pressure on the ball. In some respects, that’s easier to fix than technical or tactical skills. That was a wake-up call and we moved on well.”
WINNER WINNER! 🏆🥇#HeroHIL #HockeyKaJashn #HockeyIndiaLeague #HILFinal #HIL @srbt24 @TheHockeyIndia @FIH_Hockey pic.twitter.com/EYdu8FqffW
— Hockey India League (@HockeyIndiaLeag) February 1, 2025
“In a team game, it is easy to discourage someone or point out negatives when things are not going well,” Rupinder said about his leadership philosophy. “Everyone knows we didn’t play well in that match. We admit that we made mistakes. As a captain, I didn’t want to point out anyone’s errors. We are not losing because of one player. We lose together, we win together.”
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Batch was appreciative of Rupinder’s leadership in keeping the squad together over a testing month in Rourkela. “I sort of knew him before HIL, but having spent more time with him, I can say he’s a really good leader,” Batch said. “He’s very important for this group, both for the Indian players and the foreigners. And importantly, he played well through the series. He gives himself a chance from drag flicks even if it is now not at the same level as Jugraj’s, he knows where to place them, and understands a lot about the opposition. Really, well done to him.”
The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, however, was there to just make up numbers – he scored five crucial goals too, despite managing his minutes.
The Jugraj show
In Abhishek and Sukhjeet, the Tigers arguably had the two best Indian forwards going around currently, even if they didn’t always contribute directly with goals. Abhishek shone in a more withdrawn role and his stick skills came to the fore when his side scored a blistering counterattack – for a crucial equaliser – in the semifinal.
In Sukhjeet (named player of the tournament) they had a tireless runner who was often their first line of defence in winning the ball back, his ability to retain possession in tight corners winning his teammates’ praise. The experienced overseas contingent dovetailed well with the Indian domestic players, with Jaskaran Singh, Affan Yousuf and Gursewak Singh impressing.
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The star of the show was Jugraj, who finished the tournament as the leading goalscorer with 12 goals from Penalty Corners and benefitted immensely from Rupinder’s leadership. (HIL)
But the star of the show was Jugraj, who finished the tournament as the leading goalscorer with 12 goals from Penalty Corners and benefitted immensely from Rupinder’s leadership. The 28-year-old, who had the reputation of possessing speedy flicks that sometimes lacked accuracy, was on fire from set-piece situations, scoring a hat-trick in the final. Batch said that he particularly enjoyed how Jugraj understood the importance of flicking low past the goalkeeper.
“Everybody was aware that he is the No. 1 dragflicker in the team. But as a senior, my aim was to keep him on the right track on the field, to treat taking the penalty corners and playing as a defender on the field as two different things. I also spoke to him about the angles where he can hit the balls during the PCs and how many to hit in which regions to target,” Rupinder said.
That particular aspect got the nod of agreement from India captain Harmanpreet Singh, too, who says Jugraj tended to worry about missing PCs and letting it affect his overall performance.
Rupinder, understandably, is not yet sure about returning for another season. “I have been sleeping for 2 days after the league got over,” he joked. But he can rest easy knowing he and his streak of Tigers emerged victorious riding on a simple mantra that a certain Ted Lasso would approve. Belief.
