Hockey India League: New Rules Will Make Tournament More Interesting, Says VR Raghunath

With every field goal being counted as two, the upcoming fourth edition of the Hockey India League (HIL) is likely to witness some dramatic changes and VR Raghunath feels the rule altercation is a blessing in disguise for dragflickers who will now be under less pressure.(Hockey India League Prize Money Increased to Rs 5.70 Crore)

Raghunath, a penalty corner specialist himself, welcomed the new rule and said the pressure will be more on strikers to score field goals. (Hockey India League Auction: Akashdeep Singh Becomes a Millionaire; no Big Deal for Sardar, Dwyer)

"It's a big challenge for the forwards and an opportunity for the forwards to score more goals and show their skills. There will be less pressure on dragflickers and more pressure on forwards," said Raghunath, who will captain Uttar Pradesh Wizards in the fourth HIL to be held across six cities from January 18 to February 21. (Hockey India League Auction: German Star Moritz Fuerste Breaks the 100,000-Dollar Barrier)

Raghunath's counterpart from defending champions Ranchi Rays, Ashley Jackson is not too pleased with the new rule but said the change will make the game more interesting.

"As a dragflicker I don't like the rule. But on the flip side it is also a challenge for the defence because you will get to see more attacking hockey," he said.

"It is interesting because if you are one goal down in the last minute you still have a chance to win the game."

'New Rule Equal for All'

India captain Sardar Singh, who will lead his new franchise Jaypee Punjab Warriors this season having represented Delhi Waveriders in the last three editions, said the new rule is equal for all.

"The rule is same for all. It is an interesting thought and all teams will try to score more field goals this year," he said.

According to the new scoring rule, a field goal during the HIL would count as two while a penalty corner would continue to be counted as one goal, making field goals twice as valuable. However, penalty strokes would continue to be counted as one except when a stroke is awarded for a deliberate foul during the execution of a penalty corner.

All captains of the six teams -- Raghunath (Uttar Pradesh Wizards), Jackson (Ranchi Rays), Sardar (Jaypee Punjab Warriors), Moritz Furste (Kalinga Lancers), Nikkin Thimmaiah (Dabang Mumbai) and Simon Child (Delhi Waveriders) spoke their minds during the trophy unveiling programme of HIL.