Karnataka Lions
| Karnataka Lions | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Full name | Karnataka Lions |
| Nickname(s) | Lions |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Colors | Yellow |
| Head Coach |
 Jude Felix |
| Manager | C.S. Poonacha |
| Captain |
Arjun Halappa
|
| Home ground |
Bangalore Hockey Stadium, Bangalore (Capacity 7,000) |
| Best Performance | 2012 – Semi-finalists |
| Top Scorer |
Len Aiyappa (13 goals) |
| Owner | Sporting Ace Pvt. Ltd. (Zentrum Group) |
| Official Website |
Official Website Official Facebook Page Official Twitter Account Official YouTube Channel |
Karnataka Lions (abbreviated as KL) is a hockey team based in Bangalore, Karnataka that plays in the World Series Hockey. The team is led by Indian hockey player Arjun Halappa and coached by former Indian captain Jude Felix. The team is owned by Sporting Ace Pvt. Ltd. (Zentrum Group). Bangalore Hockey Stadium in Bangalore is the home ground of Karnataka Lions.
Karnataka Lions ended-up as the semi-finalists in the inaugural edition of WSH after being knocked out by Sher-e-Punjab in the semi-final. They finished third in the group stage. Team's penalty corner specialist Len Aiyappa was the top scorer for the team and third overall in the season with 13 goals in 12 matches.
Karnataka Lions had a bad start to the tournament with three consecutive defeats against Delhi Wizards, Sher-e-Punjab and Bhopal Badshahs. Karnataka opened their account against Chandigarh Comets with a 3–1 victory at home. Their next five matches fetched them just two victories and three defeats and were seemed to be out of the tournament as they lied at the bottom of the table. They won four in a row in a must win situation and as a result qualified for the semi-finals with still one of their match remaining. They played Chandigarh Comets in their last league match where they had a big 6–1 defeat.
Karnataka Lions faced Sher-e-Punjab at their home ground, Bangalore Hockey Stadium, in the semi-final. Karnataka was defeated convincingly despite of getting an earlier lead and hence brought their campaign in 2012's season of World Series Hockey to an end. They lost 4–1 from Punjab who went on to the final to become champions. Majority of the team's goals came through their penalty corner specialist Len Aiyappa who scored 13 goals in 12 matches including two hat-tricks against Chandigarh Comets and Bhopal Badshahs.
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