Bhubaneswar: Hosts Kalinga Lancers started this year's Hero Hockey India League with a bang by defeating newcomers Ranchi Rays 6-3 in a high-scoring inaugural match of the third edition of the tournament in front of a capacity crowd at Kalinga Stadium here yesterday.

The best part about Lancers' display today was that they scored five goals through field efforts while one came from penalty corner. They had finished last in their debut season last year. Lucas Villa (3rd minute), Ryan Archibald (17th), skipper Vikram Kanth (18th), Gurjinder Singh (37th), Mandeep Antil (58th) and Mohd Amir Khan (60th) were the goal scorers for the winners.