Indian Railways Begin Their Title Defence Today: Murugappa Gold Cup Day 2
Two games, two draws, ten goals. Not a bad way to open a 97th edition.
The main tournament of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup finally got going in Chennai on Thursday, a day after the Coorg v MCC exhibition curtain-raiser, and neither league game could find a winner. Tamil Nadu and SAI-NCOE Bhopal traded eight goals in a 4-4 Pool B thriller we’ve covered already. The other one flew a bit under the radar: Indian Army 1-1 Hockey Karnataka under the lights at 6pm, Rahul scoring for the Army in the 8th minute and Shamanth cancelling it out in the 19th, per the tournament’s own full-time graphic.
No shame in either result, but both sides left points on the turf. And today’s schedule means nobody gets to feel sorry for themselves for long.
Today’s three: champions arrive at 4:15
The headline act is Indian Army v Indian Railways at 4:15pm IST in Pool A. Railways are the defending champions, chasing a fourth straight Murugappa title, and this is their first game of the tournament. The Army, held to that 1-1 by Karnataka, get no gentle introduction. Champions first up, and if Railways hit the ground running like champions do, the Army’s point from Thursday starts looking like a very good point indeed.
The day starts at 2:30pm IST with HUTN v BPCL in Pool B. Tamil Nadu will still be buzzing from that 4-4, but buzzing isn’t points, and BPCL against a host side that can’t defend a lead is a proper test. Then the nightcap under floodlights at 6:00pm IST: Indian Oil v Punjab National Bank, another Pool A clash, another two sides desperate for an early marker.
The shape of it
Ten teams, two pools, top two go through. Semi-finals on 31 October, the final under lights on 1 November, all at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Egmore. Seven lakh rupees for the winners, five for the runners-up, and a century of history sitting over the whole thing. The 100th edition is next year, which gives this one a valedictory feel whether anyone admits it or not.
Our take
Thursday said this tournament won’t be a procession. A 4-4 and a 1-1 on day one means the so-called smaller sides aren’t here to make up numbers, and Railways know it — champions don’t win four in a row by sleepwalking through openers. For our money, the 4:15 game decides the tone of Pool A. If the Army can frustrate Railways the way Karnataka frustrated the Army, this group gets interesting fast. If Railways win by three, everyone else is playing for second.
Day 1: the eight-goal thriller, the tournament preview, the International Events hub, and the Live Centre.
