Murugappa Gold Cup Day 1: Tamil Nadu and SAI-NCOE Trade Eight Goals in a 4-4 Chennai Thriller

Ninety-seven editions in, the Murugappa Gold Cup still knows how to start.

The 97th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup opened at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on Thursday with the hosts, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, and SAI-NCOE Bhopal drawing 4-4, a game that had four lead changes, a goal inside the first minute and a penalty-corner equaliser in the last quarter. As opening statements go, it’ll do.

A goal in the first minute, and it never calmed down

Rohit Singh put SAI-NCOE ahead inside the opening minute. Most young sides would sit on that. Bhopal couldn’t, because Tamil Nadu answered fast: B.P. Somanna levelled from a penalty corner in the 6th minute and Patras Tirkey made it 2-1 in the 10th.

SAI’s Nitesh Sharma produced the goal of the day in the 26th minute, a solo run down the left backline finished with a flick over the keeper into the top of the net. 2-2 at half-time, and the third quarter went silly. Sumit Kindo deflected in a Pruthvi flick to put the hosts back in front on 38 minutes, Bhrat Kaushik equalised off a rebound almost immediately, then B. Sathish deflected a Tirkey shot home to make it 4-3 Tamil Nadu.

The last word belonged to Bhopal. Siddhant Singh converted a penalty corner in the 46th minute, 4-4, and both defences finally remembered their jobs for the last quarter. A point each in Pool B, and 160 saplings owed by the tournament’s Plant a Goal scheme, twenty for every goal scored. Eight goals is a small forest already.

The evening game, and what comes next

Thursday’s second match paired Indian Army with Hockey Karnataka in Pool A, with the starting elevens confirmed by the tournament before push-back: Army captained by goalkeeper Arasu, with Cyril Lugun and Paramjit Singh in the side; Karnataka led out by Pranam Gowda. That result will be in Friday’s round-up on SportsCursor.

The big names arrive as the pools settle. Defending champions Indian Railways, chasing a fourth straight title, headline Pool A alongside Army, Indian Oil, Punjab National Bank and Karnataka. Pool B has Indian Navy, Bharat Petroleum, the Malaysian side back for a second straight year, plus these two, who have already shown they can score on anybody.

For our money, that’s the quiet takeaway from Day 1. Tamil Nadu at home are fun, Bhopal’s kids are fearless, and Pool B is going to be a knife fight.

More Indian hockey: the Murugappa Gold Cup launch preview, the CHL opener result from Raipur, and the India Senior Nationals final.