On paper, this is a no-contest. The Punjab Warriors are sitting pretty at second on the points table, with three wins in five games. The Mumbai Magicians, on the other hand, lie bottom-placed without a win.
But the Warriors know they won’t have it easy when they take on the Magicians here on Saturday. For one, Mumbai gave a tough fight to a strong Delhi outfit in their last game but lost 1-2, and second, if they can arrest the trend of letting the game slip away in the dying minutes, the Glenn Turner-led side can well turn things around on their home turf.
Not that they have an option, either. They need to consistently win matches to stay alive for a spot in the semifinals. “They are desperate for a win, and that makes them a very dangerous side now,” Warriors captain Jamie Dwyer said. “They have played some good hockey in their last couple of games. So it’ll be wrong if we think we can just come over here and take five points.”
Stopwatch: Ranchi Rhinos 3 (A Jackson 8, M Fuerste 56, A Tirkey 62) bt Kalinga Lancers 2 (G Peilleit 32, K Brown 51)
Playing today: Mumbai Magicians vs Punjab Warriors (Live at 8pm on Star Sports 1)
