Karnataka’s performance in the ongoing MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup All-India hockey tournament has been a far cry from their impressive run in the previous edition, where they reached the final. In the 95th edition of the tournament, Karnataka has struggled to assert its dominance, failing to replicate the robust display and penalty corner prowess that characterized their previous campaign.
On Monday, Karnataka managed to eke out a hard-fought 4-3 victory over NCOE (Bhopal) in a Pool-B encounter, thanks to a brace each from Abharan Sudev and C. J. Rahul. However, the win came after two disappointing losses, highlighting Karnataka’s current struggles.
NCOE, which entered the tournament with a reputation to defend after winning the Lakshmi Ammal memorial tournament in June, has also failed to live up to expectations. The team has lost two of its three matches so far, including the defeat to Karnataka.
The match between Karnataka and NCOE was a closely contested affair. NCOE opened the scoring early on through their captain Faraz Md., who converted a penalty corner in the seventh minute. Karnataka responded quickly with goals from Abharan Sudev and Rahul, taking a 2-1 lead. Rahul extended Karnataka’s advantage to 3-1 with a back-push from close range.
NCOE came close to equalizing in the closing stages of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter through penalty corners. However, Karnataka’s goalkeeper A. C. Subramani came up with some timely saves to preserve his team’s lead.
In another Pool-A contest, defending champion Indian Railways defeated Maharashtra 3-2. Yuvraj Walmiki, Simranjot Singh, and Shivam Anand scored for Indian Railways, while Rohan Patil and Venkatesh Kenche netted for Maharashtra.
