The tournament, to be played on a league-cum-knockout basis at the Chamundi Vihar Stadium, will witness two new teams in Hockey Gangpur, Odisha and Vidarbha Hockey Association.
The 32 teams have been split in two groups of 16 each -- Division A and Dividion B.
The matches of Division B will be played from March 5 to 13 while the Division A games will be held from March 15 to 23.
The inaugural match of Division B will be played between Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh in Pool C on March 5.
Defending champions Haryana are placed in Pool A with Tamil Nadu, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Rajasthan while last year's runners-up Madhya Pradesh are placed in Pool B along side Delhi, Karnataka and Bhopal.
Defending champions Haryana will take on SAI in their opening match on March 15.
