HERO HIL: Jaypee Punjab Warriors looking to return to winning ways against Dabur Mumbai Magicians

Mumbai, January 30, 2013:Jaypee Punjab Warriors would look to quickly forget the humiliating defeat against league leaders Delhi Waveriders and return to winning ways when they take on bottom placed Dabur Mumbai Magicians in the Hero Hockey India League encounter at the Mahindra Hockey stadium on Thursday.

The Warriors, who had found some form in their last league encounters and were looking to challenge for the first two spots in the standings, were completely outplayed by the Waveriders on Tuesday and could not even earn one point due to the three goal margin of defeat.

(photo caption: Jaypee Punjab Warriors practices before their match against Dabur Mumbai Magicians tomorrow 31st January)

The loss also ended their four match unbeaten run in the competition and team captain Jamie Dwyer was quick to assert after the match that the team wants to get back to the winning ways before the business end of the tournament starts.

With just a day to regroup after the loss, it would be interesting to see how the Warriors react to the situation because the Mumbai Magicians are sure to come hard at them as they face a must win situation in all their remaining league encounters.

The Magicians have put up a much improved show in their last few encounters and are begging to play more like a team. Also the form of their penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh would be a cause of worry for the visitors.

The former India skipper is the highest scorer in the competition with 10 goals and Warriors goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann could have a tough time under the bar if his team concedes quite a few penalty corners.

Jamie Dwyer, Captain, Jaypee Punjab Warriors," We were not up to the mark in our last game against Delhi Waveriders and we still need to improve in our game. We have played against Dabur Mumbai Magicians twice, and won both of them. It is going to be an exciting match against Mumbai as they are still looking for their first win in this tournament."

The Hero Hockey India League is organised by Hockey India with official sanction from the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The inaugural season is being played from January 14 to February 10, 2013 in a home-and-away format. The five franchisee-based teams, consisting of the top hockey players from India and around the world, will compete for the prestigious trophy. Hero Motocorp Ltd. is the Title Sponsor of the league while Airtel is the Associate Sponsor. Star Sports, who is the Broadcast Partner, will be telecasting all matches live.

Wednesday’sgame 31st January: Dabur Mumbai Magicians vs Jaypee Punjab Warriors at the MHA National Stadium at 8 p.m.