Women’s Hockey India League 2025-26: SG Pipers beat Ranchi Royals 2-0 in the opening clash
Spirited SG Pipers defeated Ranchi Royals 2-0 in the opening match of the Women’s Hockey India League (HIL) 2025-26 season at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday. Captain Navneet Kaur (27’) and Teresa Viana (46’) scored the goals for the Pipers.
The first quarter of the match was extremely tight with end-to-end action by both the sides. Defences were on top as not a single penalty corner was given away in the opening minutes of the contest. Hannah Cotter of Ranchi Royals was creating problems for her opponents on the left flank while the attacking duo of Navneet and Deepika were making the majority of circle entries for the SG Pipers in the first half.
Rutuja Dadaso Pisal won the first Penalty Corner (PC) of the evening for the Royals, however, the opportunity was squandered as Maria Ortiz’s dragflick was saved by the keeper. On the other end in the 25th minute, SG Pipers won back-to-back PCs but Lola Riera’s shots on goal were denied by the Royals.
Two minutes later, Pipers won yet another PC but this time, it was successfully converted by their captain Navneet (27’) with a powerful shot to score the first goal of the season.
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The third quarter saw Ranchi win three more PCs but the home side failed to find the equaliser. In the opening minutes of the second half, Navneet and Sunelita Toppo orchestrated a great passage of play from the left as the captain took a shot, eyeing the top corner but Royals’ Bichu Devi Kharibam made a decisive save.
Moments later, Royals came extremely close as Lucina von der Heyde’s shot from a PC was deflected away from goal by Lola Riera to keep the Pipers’ lead intact. SG Pipers made another threat on goal as Preeti Dubey found the ball inside the circle but her low-driven shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
In the first minute of the final quarter itself, Pipers increased their advantage thanks to Teresa Viana (46’), who found acres of space on the left as she dribbled past the charging Royals’ goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the net. The Pipers held onto their lead in the remaining minutes of the match to claim a crucial win and begin their campaign on a dominant note.
Published on Dec 28, 2025