Can Dabang Mumbai ward off Punjab Warriors?

MUMBAI: With barely 24 hours to go for their inaugural HIL match, players of Dabang Mumbai chose to take it easy, engaging in a brief hockey clinic with young trainees at the MHA-Mahindra Stadium on Thursday evening.
Nevertheless, things will be a lot different when the debutants, who have replaced Mumbai Magicians in the league, face off against Punjab Warriors under floodlights on Friday evening.After all, they are up against a formidable side that finished second last year and are aiming to go one better this time.
On paper, the Warriors look firm favourites, but stranger things have happened in sport, and that's what should make the contest absorbing.
"The Warriors are coming into the tournament with the FIH best player of the year (Mark Knowles of Australia), the best goalkeeper (Jaap Stockman of The Netherlands), and someone like Jamie Dwyer who has won a number of awards.But, I feel we are ready for the clash," said the young Mumbai coach Valentin Altenburg.
"It's going to be an acid test for us, but at the end of the game we are going to know where exactly we stand," he added. While the Warriors are entering the league with a squad that has largely stuck together in the previous two editions, Mum bai will have to go the extra mile in their quest to find their rhythm in their maiden attempt.
"It is going to be challenging. But since we assembled for training a few days ago, we have managed to work on our plans.
"We focused on the set up of the structure and organization on the pitch. There are a lot of different structures a coach can choose from."
Dabang Mumbai tie up with top Dutch club
Dabang Mumbai have entered into a technical alliance with one of Holland's best hockey clubs HC Bloemendaal, with the objective of enhancing grass-roots training structure in the Mumbai metropolitan region, and subsequently expand the project to Gujarat and Goa.
Dutch hockey legends Floris Jan Bovelander and Teun de Nooijer who are part of the club were in in the city on Thursday to explain what they intend to do through this initiative in the coming years.