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The Hockey India League (HIL) Governing Council has taken over operations of the UP Rudras franchise, which withdrew from the 2026 season citing financial challenges, to ensure that the players' participation in the event is not affected. The Rudras had withdrawn from the league earlier this week. "The Governing Council will manage and run the new team's affairs until a new franchise owner comes forward. "The Council remains open to discussions with interested parties who may wish to acquire the new franchise," the organisers said in statement on Wednesday. Indian vice-captain Hardik Singh and Uttar Pradesh stalwart Lalit Upadhyay are among the players associated with the team. "This step has been taken to ensure that UP Rudras players participate in Hero HIL 2026 and to maintain the competitive balance of the league," the statement read. The HIL, which was suspended in 2017 due to financial issues and non-cooperation from team owners, had returned earlier this year after being .
Captain Harmanpreet Singh on Friday said that facing the formidable Australian team on their home turf will help the Indian men's hockey team identify key areas for improvement ahead of this month's Asia Cup, which also serves as a World Cup qualifier. The Indian team departed in the early hours for Australia, where they will play a crucial four-match series against the hosts at Perth Hockey Stadium from August 15 to 21. "Playing Australia in their home conditions is always a great challenge, and that's exactly what we need at this stage of our preparations," Harmanpreet said before the team's departure. "We're treating this series as a key part of our build-up to the Asia Cup. The focus is on improving as a unit, testing ourselves against strong opposition, and building the momentum we need heading into Rajgir, he added. These matches will help us pinpoint the areas that need sharpening before the Asia Cup, and we're excited about the opportunity to play high-intensity hockey agai
India, on Monday, included young defender Poovanna CB in the 24-member men's hockey team to be led by ace drag flicker Harmanpreet Singh for the four-match Tour of Australia, starting August 15 in Perth. The assignment will serve as an exposure tour for the team ahead of the all-important Asia Cup at home in Rajgir from August 29, which is also a World Cup Qualifier. "We are heading to Perth Australia to sharpen up ahead of the Asia Cup in Bihar. The focus will be on improving our physical conditioning and technical execution through quality training and warm up matches," chief coach Craig Fulton said. Fulton also spoke about testing youngsters in the squad and giving them the exposure ahead of important outings. "We have brought in some younger players to give them valuable exposure and test combinations under pressure. This camp is a key part of our preparation and a chance to build individual and team momentum before competing at home. The team will feature Krishan Pathak and S
India will begin campaign in the FIH Women's Junior Hockey World Cup in Chile with a match against Namibia on December 1. Germany and Ireland will play the tournament's first match earlier in the day in Santiago. The opening day will also feature hosts Chile taking on the Netherlands, who are the reigning champions and currently ranked number one in the world. The tournament will be held from December 1 to 13 in Santiago with 24 teams in the fray. Placed in Group C, the Indian team will face sterner tests when they play against Germany on December 3 and Ireland on December 5. As per the draw held on June 12, Pool A comprises the Netherlands, Japan, Chile, and Malaysia, while Pool B has Argentina, Belgium, Zimbabwe and Wales. Pool D will have England, South Africa, China, and Austria, while Pool E has Australia, Spain, Canada and Scotland fighting for the top honours. Pool F includes the United States, Korea, New Zealand, and Uruguay.
Hockey Jharkhand edged past defending champions Hockey Haryana 4-3 in a shootout after 1-1 in regulation time to win the 15th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship here on Wednesday. Pramodni Lakra (44') and Rani (42') scored in regulation time. Rajni Kerketta, Nirali Kujur, Binima Dhan, and captain Alebla Rani Toppo netted in the shootout, while keeper Anjali Bhinjia's two crucial saves sealed the win. In the bronze medal match, Hockey Mizoram beat Hockey Maharashtra 2-1, with Manju Chorsiya (59') scoring the late winner.
Hockey India has announced a record prize pool of Rs 12 crore for its seventh Annual Awards for which 32 players have been nominated across eight categories. The event is scheduled to be held on Saturday here, to celebrate the finest performances of the 2024 season. One of the key highlights is the coveted Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year, which will honour the best male and female players. Young players have also been given the spotlight, with Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men) and the Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women). In addition, individual excellence across various positions will be recognised through awards such as Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year, Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year, Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year, and Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year. This year's awards will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Indian men's team's historic World Cup victory on the
Olympic and World Cup gold medallist Belgian hockey defender Arthur De Sloover feels the way India is progressing over the years, the country is a "big contender" for more glory at the word stage in future. India secured back-to-back Olympic bronze medals in Tokyo and Paris, which came after their last gold medal feat at the 1980 Moscow Games. But a World Cup medal has been eluding India for a long time and the country last achieved glory at this stage in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, where it won its only gold. De Sloover, who will be turning out for Hyderabad Toofans in the upcoming Hockey India League, alongside local star Nilakanta Sharma and Germany's Gonzalo Peillat, feels Indian hockey is on the right path. "I think they (India) have been building a new generation of really good hockey players around the captain Harmanpreet (Singh) and I think they have been a bit unlucky in Paris not to get through because they had to face a really good German side. "But the fact that they have tw
The sports ministry on Thursday announced the discontinuation of the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement from this year onwards and the introduction of the Arjuna Award Lifetime in its place in a bid to "rationalise" the various sporting honours of the country. Instituted in 2002, the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award, named after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand, is given to individuals in disciplines that are part of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, among others. In 2023, the award was given to former shuttler Manjusha Kanwar, ex-hockey exponent Vineet Kumar and kabaddi player Kavitha Selvaraj. "The various schemes for sports awards have been rationalised wherein Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced in place of Dhyan Chand Award. To recognise the efforts of coaches at grassroots/development level, they are now eligible for the Dronacharya Award," said a ministry statement. "The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced and will be .
Indian men's team skipper Harmanpreet Singh believes that PR Sreejesh's extensive knowledge of modern hockey will greatly benefit the junior side as he takes on his new role as coach. Sreejesh's new innings as coach will begin when India take on Japan on October 19. "The amount of experience Sreejesh has, especially the knowledge when it comes to modern hockey because he has just retired, is a big plus point he has," Harmanpreet told PTI Video in an exclusive interaction. "When he shares it with the team then the youngsters will get to know, learn from his experiences, which will eventually help the team perform better. "But he has just joined two days back and has not spent much time with the side, but I have a lot of faith on him that he will manage it, the way he used to do with us and will enable the youngsters to enjoy success like he did," he added. On Sreejesh's future as a senior coach, he said: "You'll have to ask him about that. I believe he can do it, but coaching is a
Legendary Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was on Friday named the Director of Hockey in the Delhi franchise for the upcoming Hockey India League. SG Sports, Media and Entertainment (SGSE), part of the APL Apollo Group, has acquired the Delhi team, to be named Delhi SG Pipers, for the HIL, which is set to be revived after a gap of seven years. The corporate house has bought both the men's and women teams of Delhi. The league will be held in two venues -- Rourkela (men) and Ranchi (women) -- and will begin on December 28. While the men's competition will have eight teams, six sides will feature in the women's event, which is being held for the first time. The league will be played from December 28 to February 1. The sport's world governing body, FIH, has given a sanction of 10 years for HIL. The player auction for the league will be held here from October 13 to 15. A total of 10 franchise owners have come on board. Tennis legend Mahesh Bhupathi is the CEO of the Delhi side. Having