Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra qualify for senior women's hockey nationals

Hockey Maharashtra and Hockey Madhya Pradesh reached the final of the 13th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2023 in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh after picking up victories in their respective Semi-Final clash.

Hockey Maharashtra defeated Hockey Haryana 2-1 in penalty shootouts to advance to the Final. Hockey Haryana took the lead after Devika Sen (18') converted her penalty corner. In response, Player of the Match Bhavana Khade (43') scored the equalizer for Hockey Maharashtra as the game was tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time.

H Lalruatfeli and Akansha Singh scored in the shootouts to give Hockey Maharashtra its second shootout win in the knockout stage and secure their place in the Finals. "It is just unbelievable that we are playing in the Finals after beating a few tough teams along the way," Bhavana said after receiving her award. "The last two matches have been tough, but going to shootouts doesn't scare us; our determination to win the Championships is stronger," she added.

Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Jharkhand 2-0 in the second Semi-Final. Both teams went at each other throughout the game, but Karishma Singh (56') and Diksha Tiwari (58') stepped up in the dying embers of the game to put the contest to rest and earn their place in the Final.

"This was one of the tightest games we've played in the Championships so far, and it really tested our nerves, but the team held together as we had faith that we could win this game. We have faith that we can win the trophy tomorrow as well,” Player of the Match, Karishma Yadav said.

When asked about her award, she said, "It feels great to be recognized for my performance, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates.”