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Hockey: Indian Navy edge past BPCL to win MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup

Indian Navy won the 97th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup after a 5-4 penalty shootout victory over BPCL at the SDAT Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai.

By , Sports writer

· 2 min read

A field hockey match, general view
Field hockey match (general file photo, not from this event) Photo: fh.mum1 from Louisville, KY, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Indian Navy clinched the 97th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey title by beating BPCL 5-4 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw at the SDAT Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai.

Key takeaways

  • Indian Navy won the 97th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey title
  • The final finished 1-1 after regulation time at the SDAT Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai
  • Indian Navy won the penalty shootout 5-4 against BPCL
  • Ankit Malik made a crucial save against Sudeep Chirmako in sudden death
  • Kuldeep scored the winning penalty for Indian Navy

Indian Navy won the 97th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey title by beating Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd 5-4 in a penalty shootout at the SDAT Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, The Hindu reported.

The final ended 1-1 after regulation time and went into sudden death after both teams converted four of their five shootout attempts. Navy goalkeeper Ankit Malik made a crucial save, denying Sudeep Chirmako, before Kuldeep scored to seal the title.

Indian Navy had reached the final by stunning three-time defending champions Indian Railways 4-2 in a penalty shootout on Saturday, mid-day reported. Substitute goalkeeper Ankit Malik saved attempts from Rajbeer Singh and Darshan Gawkar after the teams were locked 2-2 at the end of regulation time.

Abhishek Topno gave Indian Navy the lead in the 14th minute after finishing a pass from Pawan Rajbhar, who had combined with Sundra Pandi to advance down the left, The Hindu reported. BPCL goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya kept his side in the contest by blocking Harjeet Singh’s close-range effort in the 21st minute. BPCL drew level when Anmol Ekka scored off the second of two successive penalty corners.

Neither side found a breakthrough in the third quarter despite earning two penalty corners apiece, and the deadlock continued through the final quarter, The Hindu reported. For Navy, Abhishek Topno, Pawan Rajbhar, Kuldeep, and K. Selvaraj scored in the first five shootout attempts, while Charanjeet Singh, Sudeep Chirmako, Harjeet Singh, and Devindar Walmiki found the net for BPCL. Deepak Pradhan missed for BPCL and Yogesh Singh missed for Navy.

The Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium is a field hockey stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and is one of the international hockey stadiums situated at Tamil Nadu, according to Wikipedia. Hockey India plans, directs and conducts all activities for men’s and women’s field hockey in India and is recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as the sole body responsible for promoting the sport, according to Wikipedia.

Final result and shootout scorers

Team

Regulation score

Shootout score

Indian Navy

1 (Abhishek Topno 14)

5

BPCL

1 (Anmol Ekka 30-pc)

4

Sources

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