Kalinga Lancers
| Full name | Kalinga Lancers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Lancers | ||
| League | Hockey India League | ||
| Founded | 2013 | ||
| Colors | |||
| Home ground | Kalinga Stadium Bhubaneswar, Odisha (Capacity 15,000) | ||
| Personnel | |||
| Captain | Aran Zalewski | ||
| Coach | Jay Stacy | ||
| Owner | Vedanta Limited | ||
| Chairman | Sunil Gupta | ||
| Website | kalingalancers-vedanta.com | ||
| Performance | |||
| Winners | 2017 | ||
| Runners-up | 2016 | ||
| |||
Kalinga Lancers (Odia: କଳିଙ୍ଗ ଲ୍ୟାନ୍ସର୍ସ) is a professional field hockey franchise team based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.[1] Owned by Vedanta Limited since 2024, the franchise competes in the Hockey India League.[2]
History
In their inaugural season in 2014, the Kalinga Lancers finished at the sixth spot at the end of league stage, and did not qualify for the semi-finals.[3] Lancers also finished the 2015 edition in a similar fashion, finishing fifth at the end of the league stage.[4]
In the 2016 Hockey India League, the Kalinga Lancers finished fourth at the end of league stage and advanced into the semi-finals for the first time, garnering 25 points from 10 games. In the semi-finals, the Lancers defeated Ranchi Rays 2–2 (4–2) to reach the Final. In the final, the Lancers faced Punjab Warriors which they lost 1–6, finishing the league as the runners-up.[5]
In the 2017 Hockey India League, the Kalinga Lancers finished second at the end of league stage and advanced into the semi-finals garnering 28 points from 10 games. In the semi-finals, the Lancers defeated Uttar Pradesh Wizards 4–4 (4–3) to reach the Final. On 26 February 2017, Kalinga Lancers defeated Dabang Mumbai 4–1 in the final to win their first ever silverware.[6]
Kalinga Lancers had a mixed campaign in the 2024–25 Hockey India League as they finished sixth in the league table with 12 points from 10 matches, recording three wins, one shoot-out win, five losses, and one shoot-out loss. The team scored 31 goals and conceded the same number, ending with a neutral goal difference. Thierry Brinkman emerged as their standout performer, netting 10 goals to finish among the league's top scorers. A series of narrow losses and missed opportunities in crucial games cost them a spot in the semifinals.[7]
Ownership
Since 2013, the Kalinga Lancers were co-owned by Mahanadi Coalfields and Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation.[8] However, in 2024, prior to the 2024–25 Hockey India League season, the Vedanta Group acquired full ownership of the team.[2]
Stadium
Established in 2010, the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, is the home ground of the Kalinga Lancers. The 16,000-capacity stadium has hosted several national and international tournaments including the Men's FIH Hockey World Cup, Hockey Champions Trophy, Men's FIH Hockey World League, FIH Hockey Series Finals, Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, Men's FIH Pro League and Women's FIH Pro League. It was one of the venues to host the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The stadium also serves as the home base for the men's national field hockey team, women's national field hockey team and youth national teams.[9][10]
Squad
- As of 24 September 2025[11]
| No. | Player | Nationality | Signed | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||
| 12 | Krishan Pathak | India | 2024 | ₹32 lakh (US$38,000) |
| – | Jed Snowden | Australia | 2025 | ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) |
| Defenders | ||||
| 4 | Arthur Van Doren | Belgium | 2024 | ₹32 lakh (US$38,000) |
| 15 | Rohit Kullu | India | 2024 | ₹2 lakh (US$2,400) |
| 16 | Alexander Hendrickx | Belgium | 2024 | ₹23 lakh (US$27,000) |
| 20 | Partap Lakra | India | 2024 | ₹2 lakh (US$2,400) |
| 24 | Antoine Kina | Belgium | 2024 | ₹16 lakh (US$19,000) |
| 70 | Sanjay Rana | India | 2024 | ₹38 lakh (US$45,000) |
| – | Sunil PB | India | 2025 | ₹2 lakh (US$2,400) |
| Midfielders | ||||
| 10 | Rosan Kujur | India | 2024 | ₹12.5 lakh (US$15,000) |
| 29 | Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem | India | 2024 | ₹32 lakh (US$38,000) |
| – | Amit Kumar Toppo | India | 2025 | ₹2 lakh (US$2,400) |
| – | Craig Marais | Australia | 2025 | ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) |
| – | Liam Henderson | Australia | 2025 | ₹42 lakh (US$50,000) |
| Forwards | ||||
| 5 | Angad Bir Singh | India | 2024 | ₹26 lakh (US$31,000) |
| 9 | Dilpreet Singh | India | 2024 | ₹34 lakh (US$40,000) |
| 13 | Gursahibjit Singh | India | 2024 | ₹6 lakh (US$7,100) |
| 26 | Deepak Pradhan | India | 2024 | ₹2 lakh (US$2,400) |
| – | Cooper Burns | Australia | 2025 | ₹34.5 lakh (US$41,000) |
| – | Boby Singh Dhami | India | 2025 | ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) |
Personnel
Technical staff
- As of 28 December 2024[12]
| Position | Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | Jay Stacy | [13] |
| Technical & Strategy Coach | Pascal Kina | [14] |
| Assistant Coach | B. J. Kariappa | [15] |
| Team Manager | A. B. Subbaiah | [16] |
| Strategy Director | David John | [17] |
| Physiotherapist | Boddhisattva Dass | [12] |
| Physical Trainer | Sujit Lakra | [12] |
Coaching history
| Name | Nationality | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Terry Walsh | Australia | 2014 |
| Jude Felix Sebastian | India | 2015 |
| Mark Hager | Australia | 2016–2017 |
| Valentin Altenburg | Germany | 2024 |
| Jay Stacy | Australia | 2025– |
Statistics
Overall
- As of 24 January 2025
2014–2017
| Season | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 34 | –11 | 17 | 6th |
| 2015 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 26 | –9 | 21 | 5th |
| 2016 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 42 | 44 | –2 | 25 | Runners-Up |
| 2017 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 45 | –5 | 28 | Champions |
2024–
| Season | Matches | Won | SOW | Lost | SOL | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 12 | 6th |
Performance by opposition
| Opposition | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dabang Mumbai | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 71.4% |
| Delhi Waveriders | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 24 | 37.5% |
| Mumbai Magicians | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 50% |
| Punjab Warriors | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 32 | 22.2% |
| Ranchi Rays | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 24 | 42.8% |
| Ranchi Rhinos | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 50% |
| Uttar Pradesh Wizards | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 33 | 22.2% |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glenn Turner | Australia | 15 |
| 2 | Moritz Fürste | Germany | 11 |
| 3 | Gonzalo Peillat | Argentina | 8 |
| Gurjinder Singh | India | 8 | |
| 4 | Lalit Upadhyay | India | 6 |
| Lucas Vila | Argentina | 6 |
Seasons
2014
| No. | Date | Result | Opponent | Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 January | 3 – 7 | Punjab Warriors | Bhubaneswar | Match 5 |
| 2 | 30 January | 5 – 0 | Delhi Waveriders | Delhi | Match 7 |
| 3 | 1 February | 2 – 1 | Mumbai Magicians | Bhubaneswar | Match 10 |
| 4 | 2 February | 3 – 4 | Delhi Waveriders | Bhubaneswar | Match 12 |
| 5 | 7 February | 3 – 2 | Ranchi Rhinos | Ranchi | Match 16 |
| 6 | 9 February | 3 – 1 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Lucknow | Match 19 |
| 7 | 11 February | 3 – 3 | Punjab Warriors | Mohali | Match 21 |
| 8 | 13 February | 3 – 4 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Bhubaneswar | Match 23 |
| 9 | 14 February | 4 – 1 | Ranchi Rhinos | Bhubaneswar | Match 24 |
| 10 | 16 February | 3 – 2 | Mumbai Magicians | Mumbai | Match 27 |
| Position in League Phase: 6th Semi-finals: DNQ | |||||
- Goals for: 23 (2.30 per match)
- Goals against: 34 (3.40 per match)
- Most goals: 8
2015
| No. | Date | Result | Opponent | Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 January | 6 – 3 | Ranchi Rays | Bhubaneswar | Match 1 |
| 2 | 25 January | 4 – 2 | Punjab Warriors | Mohali | Match 2 |
| 3 | 29 January | 5 – 1 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Lucknow | Match 3 |
| 4 | 31 January | 0 – 2 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Bhubaneswar | Match 4 |
| 5 | 1 February | 1 – 3 | Punjab Warriors | Bhubaneswar | Match 5 |
| 6 | 6 February | 4 – 0 | Ranchi Rays | Ranchi | Match 6 |
| 7 | 8 February | 2 – 1 | Dabang Mumbai | Mumbai | Match 7 |
| 8 | 12 February | 2 – 2 | Delhi Waveriders | Bhubaneswar | Match 8 |
| 9 | 13 February | 2 – 1 | Dabang Mumbai | Bhubaneswar | Match 9 |
| 10 | 15 February | 1 – 2 | Delhi Waveriders | New Delhi | Match 10 |
| Position in league phase: 5th Semi-finals: DNQ | |||||
- Goals for: 17 (1.70 per match)
- Goals against: 26 (2.60 per match)
- Most goals: 5
2016
| No. | Date | Result | Opponent | Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 January | 6 – 8 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Bhubaneswar | Match 1 |
| 2 | 21 January | 4 – 2 | Dabang Mumbai | Bhubaneswar | Match 2 |
| 3 | 25 January | 2 – 10 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Lucknow | Match 3 |
| 4 | 28 January | 3 – 2 | Ranchi Rays | Ranchi | Match 4 |
| 5 | 31 January | 4 – 6 | Dabang Mumbai | Mumbai | Match 5 |
| 6 | 5 February | 4 – 0 | Delhi Waveriders | Bhubaneswar | Match 6 |
| 7 | 7 February | 1 – 4 | Punjab Warriors | Bhubaneswar | Match 7 |
| 8 | 8 February | 2 – 3 | Ranchi Rays | Bhubaneswar | Match 8 |
| 9 | 15 February | 4 – 4 | Punjab Warriors | Mohali | Match 9 |
| 10 | 17 January | 6 – 0 | Delhi Waveriders | New Delhi | Match 10 |
| 11 | 20 February | 2 (2) – 2 (4) | Ranchi Rays | Ranchi | Semi-final 2 |
| 12 | 21 February | 1 – 6 | Punjab Warriors | Ranchi | Final |
| Position: Runners-Up | |||||
- Goals for: 42 (3.5 per match)
- Goals against: 44 (3.6 per match)
- Most goals: 15
2017
| No. | Date | Result | Opponent | Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 January | 1 – 0 | Delhi Waveriders | Bhubaneswar | Match 1 |
| 2 | 23 January | 4 – 2 | Ranchi Rays | Bhubaneswar | Match 2 |
| 3 | 26 January | 7 – 2 | Ranchi Rays | Ranchi | Match 3 |
| 4 | 29 January | 0 – 10 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Bhubaneswar | Match 4 |
| 5 | 31 January | 3 – 4 | Dabang Mumbai | Mumbai | Match 5 |
| 6 | 3 February | 6 – 5 | Punjab Warriors | Bhubaneswar | Match 6 |
| 7 | 5 February | 2 – 5 | Dabang Mumbai | Bhubaneswar | Match 7 |
| 8 | 10 February | 2 – 2 | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Lucknow | Match 8 |
| 9 | 12 February | 6 – 4 | Delhi Waveriders | New Delhi | Match 9 |
| 10 | 18 February | 0 – 7 | Punjab Warriors | Chandigarh | Match 10 |
| 11 | 25 February | 4 (4) – 4 (3) | Uttar Pradesh Wizards | Chandigarh | Semi-final 1 |
| 12 | 26 February | 4 – 1 | Dabang Mumbai | Chandigarh | Final |
| Position: Champions | |||||
- Goals for: 40 (3.3 per match)
- Goals against: 45 (3.7 per match)
- Most Goals: 12
References
- ^ Sportstar, Team (13 October 2024). "Kalinga Lancers (Odisha) squad, Hockey India League 2024-25: Full list of players after auction, remaining purse". Sportstar. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Vedanta acquires full ownership of Kalinga Lancers, a team based in Odisha - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Hero Hockey India League 2014: Results Handbook" (PDF). Hockey India League. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "Hero Hockey India League 2015: Results Handbook" (PDF). Hockey India League. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Coal India Hockey India League 2016: Results Handbook" (PDF). Hockey India League. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- ^ "Kalinga Lancers crowned the Champions of Coal India Hockey India League". Hockey India League. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ "Hero Hockey India League 2024-25 (Men's): Results Handbook" (PDF). Hockey India. 1 February 2025. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ^ "Kalinga Lancers for hockey league launched". The Times of India. 19 November 2013. Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ "From Kalinga to Birsa Munda: A Look at the Venues Hosting World's Best Hockey Teams". CNN-News18. 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "Kalinga Hockey Stadium". Government of Odisha. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ "Vedanta Kalinga Lancers - Players". Hockey India. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "Vedanta Kalinga Lancers - Team Staff". Hockey India. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Jay Stacy appointed Kalinga Lancers head coach for Hockey India League". 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Hockey India League: Kalinga Lancers appoint Pascal Kina as technical and strategy coach". Odisha TV. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Kariappa BJ - Assistant Coach of Vedanta Kalinga Lancers". Firstpost. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Hockey India League: Kalinga Lancers appoint David John as Strategy Director and AB Subbaiah as Team Manager". Firstpost. 13 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "Kalinga Lancers rope in David John as strategy director, Dr AB Subbaiah as team manager ahead of HIL 2024-25 season". Asian News International. 13 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.