Namdhari XI look to seal Men's Junior Hockey Championship final berth

The Ludhiana-based club is set to take on Raja Karan Academy in the semi-final.

 The Semi Finals of the 1st Hockey India Junior Men's Academy National Championship 2021 are upon us and the top four teams-Namdhari XI, Raja Karan Hockey Academy, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy and Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy will battle it out on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, for a place in the Final of the inaugural edition of the tournament.

The first Semi Final will witness Namdhari XI and Raja Karan Hockey Academy square off against each other. Namdhari XI, who are currently the joint highest goal-scoring team in the tournament, are coming off a hard-fought 5-4 win in a shootout against SGPC Hockey Academy in their Quarter Final match.  

Speaking about the team's performance and the confidence ahead of the Men's Junior Hockey Championship Semi Final match, Namdhari XI coach Harvinder Singh said, "It's been a great performance so far, our strikers have been clinical, and after Quarter Final match, we also realised that our defence is equally strong. Our goalkeeper made brilliant saves to help the team qualify for the Semi Final, and I think we are very confident for tomorrow's match. However, I would say, both teams are equal, and the one which will perform well, will win the Semi Final match."

On the other hand, Raja Karan Hockey Academy, won their Quarter Final match by a comprehensive 7-1 margin against Salute Hockey Academy and their coach Rajinder Kumar stated that his team is confident of beating Namdhari XI in the Men's Junior Hockey Championship Semi Final.

"We are confident of beating our opponents in the Semi Final. The team has been performing really well. We have been unbeaten, and have won our matches with good margins. So, that shows we are in a good form. Our players are confident, and very much excited about playing a Semi Final of this tournament," said Raja Karan Hockey Academy coach Rajinder Kumar.

Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy, who are currently the joint highest goal-scoring team in the Men's Junior Hockey Championship, are coming off a remarkable 5-1 Quarter Final win against Naval Tata Hockey Academy- Jamshedpur. Their coach Mohd Sameer Dad expressed that the team will look to keep the momentum going when against their Men's Junior Hockey Championship Semi Final match against Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy.

"For us, results are a secondary thing. Our focus in this tournament has been about keeping the momentum going. Pool Stage matches were easy for us, Naval Tata Hockey Academy- Jamshedpur gave us a tough fight, and I am glad that the boys showed great character on the field to manage to win the Quarter Final by 5-1 margin. Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy are a strong team, and as I said, our focus will be on maintaining the momentum and playing good hockey," said Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy coach Mohd Sameer Dad.

Meanwhile, Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy, who registered a thrilling 4-3 win in shootout against SAI-Academy (Kolkata) in the Quarter Final, will look to capitalise on their fine run of form against Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy. 

Ahead of their Men's Junior Hockey Championship Semi-Final clash tomorrow, Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy Balwinder Singh said, "Boys are really pumped up after earning a remarkable win yesterday. One of our targets of reaching till Semi Final is accomplished, now our next goal is to play the Final of this tournament, and hopefully win the inaugural title. Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy are a challenging opponent, but we are confident that we will do well tomorrow."

Semi Final line-up:

SF-1: Namdhari XI vs Raja Karan Hockey Academy at 0800 hrs

SF-2: Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy vs Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy 1500 hrs

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