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Ranchi Royals Crush SG Pipers 5-2 to Clinch Third Place in Women's Hockey League

Ranchi Royals ended their Women's Hero Hockey India League campaign with a commanding 5-2 victory over SG Pipers. The match was closely contested early, with the teams tied 1-1 after the first quarter. A dominant fourth-quarter performance, featuring three goals, secured the win for the Royals. The result ensured the hosts finished in third place in the tournament standings.

Key Points: Ranchi Royals Beat SG Pipers 5-2, Finish Third in Hockey League

  • Royals win 5-2 in final match
  • Strong 4th quarter seals victory
  • Von der Heyde & Cotter score braces
  • Pipers' Navneet Kaur nets two in loss
  • Royals finish 3rd in tournament
3 min read

Ranchi Royals overpower SG Pipers 5-2 to finish third in the Women's Hockey India League

Ranchi Royals dominate SG Pipers 5-2 in the Women's Hockey India League. Lucina von der Heyde and Hannah Cotter shine in a strong fourth-quarter finish.

"Ranchi Royals produced a dominant all-round performance - Hockey India Press Release"

Ranchi, January 8

Ranchi Royals produced a dominant all-round performance to defeat SG Pipers 5-2 in their last Women's Hero Hockey India League 2025-26 encounter, with a clinical fourth-quarter display sealing the victory as the hosts finished third in the tournament.

Lucina von der Heyde (2', 47'), Sangita Kumari (24'), and Hannah Cotter (55', 60') scored goals for the Royals, while Navneet Kaur (10', 58') netted a brace for the Pipers, who have already qualified for the Final of the tournament, as per a Hockey India press release.

SG Pipers began the contest with early pressing, but Ranchi Royals quickly gained control and earned a penalty corner within the opening minute. Drag-flick specialist Lucina von der Heyde made no mistake, converting in the 2nd minute to give the Royals an early lead. The goal allowed Ranchi Royals to dictate the tempo for the next few minutes, before SG Pipers struck back through captain Navneet Kaur (10'), who found the back of the net to restore parity. With both sides exchanging goals, the opening quarter ended evenly poised at 1-1.

The second quarter unfolded in end-to-end fashion with both teams trading early attacks. Ranchi Royals, however, applied sustained pressure through repeated circle entries, and their persistence paid off when Sangita Kumari (24'), left unmarked inside the circle, fired home to restore the hosts' lead. With the advantage back in their favour, the Royals controlled the tempo in the closing stages of the half to ensure they went into the break leading 2-1.

Ranchi Royals continued to control proceedings in the third quarter, dominating the midfield and playing with caution to protect their lead. They created several scoring opportunities, including penalty corners, but were unable to convert. SG Pipers responded with attacking moves of their own and tested the Royals' defence on multiple occasions, yet they too failed to capitalise. As a result, the third quarter ended goalless, with the Royals still holding a 2-1 advantage.

Ranchi Royals finished the contest in emphatic fashion, taking charge of the fourth quarter to put the result beyond doubt. Lucina von der Heyde (47') struck from a penalty corner to score her second goal of the night and extend the hosts' lead. Hannah Cotter then added two late goals in quick succession (55', 60') to end any hopes of a SG Pipers comeback.

In the meantime, SG Pipers did manage to pull one back through captain Navneet Kaur (58'), who netted her second goal of the match, but it proved to be only a consolation as Ranchi Royals sealed a convincing 5-2 victory to finish third in the tournament.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

A
Arjun K
Great to see Sangita Kumari on the scoresheet! She's been a consistent performer for India. Although finishing third is good, I hope the team management looks at why we couldn't convert more chances in the third quarter. The midfield dominance was there, but the finishing needs to be sharper against top teams.
N
Navneet Kaur
As a hockey fan from Punjab, my heart is with Navneet Kaur! Scoring a brace even in a loss shows her fighting spirit. Pipers are already in the final, so maybe they were conserving energy? Still, a 5-2 scoreline is a bit heavy. All the best for the final!
R
Rohit P
Lucina von der Heyde with two goals from penalty corners - she's a weapon! The foreign players are really adding quality to our domestic league. This is exactly what Indian hockey needs. More exposure, more competition. Jai Hind!
S
Sarah B
Following the league from Canada. The quality of play is impressive! The pace of the game in that fourth quarter was incredible. Ranchi's defence held strong under pressure in Q3. A well-deserved third-place finish.
K
Karthik V
Good win, but let's be honest, the Pipers were probably not at 100% since they've already qualified. The real test is always the finals. Hope the broadcast and coverage improves next season - sometimes it's hard to find good streams even for these big matches.

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