Senior Women's National C'ship: 29 Indian internationals to represent their states

The 14th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship is all set to kick off on March 13 at the Major Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium Pimpri in Pune, Maharashtra with Madhya Pradesh taking on Chhattisgarh in the opening clash. The final is scheduled to take place on March 23.

A total of 27 teams that have been divided into eight pools will be vying for top honours.

The upcoming tournament holds significance as it will serve as the platform for choosing the next core probables for the Indian women's team.

The majority of the senior women's team, which includes key players such as India skipper Savita, the most capped player Vandana Katariya, seasoned professional Monika, experienced players like Navneet Kaur, Salima Tete, as well as emerging talents like Deepika and Sangita Kumari, are all poised to take part in the competition from their respective states.

While defending champion Madhya Pradesh has been slotted in Pool A along with Bihar and Chhattisgarh, last year’s runner-up and host of this year’s edition Maharashtra finds itself in Pool B with Delhi and Kerala. Pool C consists of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh while Haryana, Le Puducherry and Assam form Pool D.

Odisha, Chandigarh and Goa are a part of Pool E. Pool F consists of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Mizoram. Karnataka find themselves in Pool G alongside Manipur, Uttarakhand and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Hockey while West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Telangana form Pool H.

The top team from each Pool will advance to the quarterfinals, slated for March 20 with the semifinals set to occur on March 22. The third and fourth place play-off is scheduled for March 23, followed by the final later that evening.

Notably, 29 Indian international players will be a part of this tournament, taking the level of hockey to new heights.

Maharashtra will have Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Akshata Abaso Dhekale and Rajani Etimarpu in the team while the likes of Mariana Kujur, Ajmina Kujur and Jyoti Chhatri will turn up for Odisha. Nikki Pradhan, Beauty Dungdung, Salima Tete and Sangita Kumari will be seen in action for Jharkhand and Baljeet Kaur and Gurjit Kaur will represent Punjab.

Uttar Pradesh will see Mumtaz Khan, Vandana Katariya and Bansari Solanki donning their colours while Bichu Devi Kharibam, Ishika Chaudhary and Lalremsiami will represent Manipur, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram respectively.

Haryana will field a star-studded line-up consisting of 11 international players, namely Monika, Navneet Kaur, Neha, Nisha, Deepika, Mahima Chaudhary, Jyoti, Savita, Sharmila Devi, Sonika and Udita.

Speaking about the upcoming event, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said, "It is great to see so many international players turning up for their respective state teams. Not only does this better the level of hockey, but it also helps youngsters gain some valuable experience playing alongside the senior pros. The Hockey India Senior Women National Championship is a massive platform for all the players and we can expect to unearth many talents who could potentially represent the Indian Women’s Hockey Team in the future."

FanCode live-streaming the entire tournament.

Teams:

Pool A: Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh

Pool B: Maharashtra, Delhi and Kerala.

Pool C: Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh

Pool D: Haryana Le Puducherry, Assam

Pool E: Odisha, Chandigarh, Goa

Pool F: Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram.

Pool G: Karnataka, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey

Pool H: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Telangana