Pune’s Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium witnessed edge-of-the-seat action on the second day of the 41st PSPB Inter-Unit Hockey Tournament. Defending champions BPCL secured a hard-fought 4-3 victory over ONGC, propelling them to the top of the standings with six points from two wins.
The match started with ONGC taking an early lead through Gurjot Singh’s field goal in the 17th minute, putting BPCL on the back foot at 0-1. But BPCL roared back with Olympic medalist Varun Kumar equalizing from a penalty corner in the 22nd minute. The momentum shifted decisively as Tushar Khandekar and Vishwas J added field goals in the 37th and 45th minutes, giving BPCL a commanding 3-1 lead at halftime.
ONGC fought valiantly in the second half. Jagwant Singh pulled one back in the 52nd minute, narrowing the gap to 2-3. Current India international Rajinder Singh restored BPCL’s two-goal advantage with a strike in the 56th minute. In a tense finish, Bikash Toppo scored for ONGC in the 59th minute, but it wasn’t enough as BPCL held on for the win.
In the day’s other fixture, IOCL blanked EIL 2-0. Roshan Minz opened the scoring in the 14th minute, and Sunil Yadav sealed the points with a goal in the 54th minute. This victory moved IOCL to three points, tying them with ONGC in second place, while EIL remains winless after two losses.
BPCL’s resilience and IOCL’s solid defense set the tone for what promises to be an intense tournament. With top PSU teams battling it out, fans are in for more high-stakes hockey in Pune.