The New York Strikers have been in impeccable form ahead of the final, winning all but one of their games in the tournament so far, with more than one player stepping up to the plate at important times, putting in telling performances en route the summit clash.
In the first match of the day, Punjab National Bank defeated Canara Bank 7-1 in Pool C. Gurjinder Singh (14', 53', 60') hit his second hat-trick in the tournament, while Naveen Antil (3'), Sumit Toppo (4'), Satender Kumar (21') and Vishal Antil (30') scored one goal apiece to take Punjab Nat
Galle Gladiators will play the first match of the tournament against defending champions Jaffna Kings. The first round of the tournament, which will consist of 20 games will be played in Hambantota before it moves to Kandy and then Colombo.
The tour will officially kick off from December 5 with Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik handing over the trophy to Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey in Bhubaneswar
Japan made a spirited recovery in the second half to find the back of the net twice and then defended superbly to hand Spain their 1st defeat of the tournament. The Asian team stormed to the Round of 16 while Spain also advanced despite the loss, after ending in the second position of Group
Top Indian tennis stars Ramkumar Ramanathan and Divij Sharan are also included among the 24 Pro Men's players participating in the tournament, who will be playing for Bengaluru Bulls. Eight Pro Women's players will also compete in the tournament including tennis star Riya Bhatia.
However, despite their win, Tunisia are out of the tournament. They finish at three in the points table with four points, with a win, loss and a draw under their kitty. Meanwhile, France has topped the table with six points with two wins and a loss
Australia have finished at the second position in points table with six points, two wins and a loss to their name. Denmark bow out of the tournament with only one point next to their name and one draw and two losses
The Desert Vipers are the last of the six sides in the tournament to get underway, with a match at their home venue, the Dubai International Stadium (DIS), against the Sharjah Warriors on January 15, two days after the opening game.
Karnataka will be looking qualify for the final and tie with Tamil Nadu as the most successful team in the tournament's history with five titles. Saurashtra will be aiming to cross the last two hurdles to clinching their first-ever title since 2007-08.
Spain were leading with Alvaro Morata's goal until the 82nd minute and were almost at the cusp of their second win in the tournament before Niclas Fullkrug turned up to score for Germany, helping the four-time champions avoid the embarrassment of consecutive losses.