State-wise representation of Indian hockey team for World Cup

The northwestern state of Punjab continues to dominate the Indian men's hockey team. India's 18-man squad at the 2023 Hockey World Cup has 10 players from Punjab. Odisha and Haryana have two players each. Four other states - Manipur, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh - have one player each in the side.

State-wise breakdown of India's hockey team

Punjab - Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Manpreet Singh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Jarmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Varun Kumar

Haryana - Surender Kumar, Abhishek

Odisha - Amit Rohidas (vice-captain), Nilam Sandeep Xess

Manipur - Nilakanta Sharma

Kerala - PR Sreejesh

Uttar Pradesh - Lalit Upadhyay

Madhya Pradesh - Vivek Sagar Prasad

India will take on Spain in their opening encounter of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 in Rourkela, Odisha on Friday.

There are 16 teams in the World Cup. India are placed in a tricky Group D with Spain, Wales and England.

The four winners of the pool stage will qualify for the quarter-finals wile the teams finishing second and third will play crossover matches for the remaining four spots in the last eight.

The last time India reached the podium at the Hockey World Cup was in 1975.