The Dutta Corp

Most U.S. Open teams are built around a single star. The Dutta Corp took the opposite approach: six players, nobody above 7 goals, and a combined 34-goal rating that's the highest in Bracket II. There's no obvious name to double-mark, no one player to plan your entire defence around. That's the point.

Facundo Llosa (7) leads the handicap chart, but Lucas Diaz Alberdi (6), Joaquin Panelo (6), and Dylan Rossiter (6) are all within a goal of him. Felipe 'Pipe' Miguens (5) and Timmy Dutta (4) complete the roster. Four players rated 5-7 is an unusually flat talent distribution — it means the danger can come from anywhere, in any chukker, from whoever has the freshest horse.

Timmy Dutta at 4 goals is one of the higher-rated patron players in Wellington. In a sport where team owners often contribute more off the field than on it, Dutta plays real minutes and makes a genuine tactical contribution. The six-player rotation means The Dutta Corp arrives at the fifth and sixth chukkers — where matches are decided — with more energy than opponents who've been running four players hard all game.