Star-studded Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), with former India star Deepak Thakur scoring all the goals, edged past Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) 4-3 to confirm their berth in the semi-finals of the 89th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup All-India hockey tournament here on Thursday.
The defeat notwithstanding, CAG for whom Md. Naeemuddin (2) and Mahendra Kumawat scored, too progressed to the semi-finals by finishing second behind IOCL in pool A.
In the semi-finals, to be played on Saturday, Indian Oil take on Punjab and Sind Bank while Army XI face CAG. The final is slated for Sunday.
In an inconsequential pool A game, Namdhari XI, with a late strike by Avtar Singh, defeated Mumbai Hockey 1-0 to finish third behind IOCL and CAG. Mumbai finished at the bottom of the pool behind fourth placed Karnataka Hockey.
