Mumbai Magicians take on Delhi Waveriders

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Mumbai, 20^th January 2013: Having failed to gain full points in their first away game against Uttar Pradesh Wizards on Saturday, Delhi Waveriders would be keen to prove their supremacy when they take on Mumbai Magicians in the Hero Hockey India League in Mumbai on Monday.

The two sides are slated to meet each other for the second time in less than a week, and Waveriders would take confidence from the fact that they have beaten Magicians when the two sides met in Delhi.

Waveriders went to the top of the points table at the end of their game against Wizards. And although Waveriders played a good match in patches, their failure to convert chances into goals is something that would have worried the team management. Had they taken their chances on Saturday, Waveriders could have got the better of Wizards. In the end, a 1-1 result was not a fair reflection of the chances Waveriders created in that match.

Waveriders had faced similar problems even in their game against Magicians at home. Although Waveriders won that game 2-1, the winning margin could have been bigger, had they converted some of their chances.

Waveriders’ star drag flicker Rupinder Pal Singh could not score on any of the six penalty corners that Waveriders’ got against Wizards on Saturday, and the talented player would be disappointed with that. He is a far better player than that, and would be keen to prove his worth in the coming games, ideally beginning on Monday in Mumbai.

Magicians lost both their opening games of the league, including a loss to Waveriders in Delhi, and would be keen to score some valuable points at home. Sandeep Singh had failed to score of a penalty stroke in the last minute against Waveriders and the star striker would be keen to make amendments to that performance. He scored Magicians’ only goal in that match, and Waveriders would need to have their plans ready for Sandeep.

Waveriders had dominated three of the four quarters against Magicians at home, and would be looking forward to make a similar start on Monday. At the same time, Magicians would do well to play a bit more aggressively, especially with this being a home game, and not allow the Waveriders to take charge.

Waveriders’ skipper Sardar Singh bells to the Magicians on Saturday by declaring that his team would press for a win in their next game.

"We beat Mumbai Magicians once, but we haven’t really taken it to or head. I genuinely feel this match is going to be a tough one. Mumbai Magicians are going to have huge support as they are playing on home turf. Mumbai has lost previous 2 matches and they will be definitely looking forward and working hard for a win ahead. Due to hectic travel schedules, there has been less time to recover, but I guess it’s the case with all teams and hence it shouldn’t really affect any matches" said, AK Bansal Coach, Delhi Waveriders

It would be interesting to see what strategic changes the Magicians bring to their game on Monday, with Aussie legend Ric Charlesworth in charge.

The Hero Hockey India League is organised by Hockey India with official sanction from the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The inaugural season is being played from January 14 to February 10, 2013 in a home-and-away format. The five franchisee-based teams, consisting of the top hockey players from India and around the world, will compete for the prestigious trophy. Hero Motocorp Ltd. is the Title Sponsor of the league while Airtel is the Associate Sponsor. Star Sports, who is the Broadcast Partner, will be telecasting all matches live.