Tag: FIH Hockey Pro League

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Women’s Hockey Team ready to take on the Netherlands in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24

Rourkela, 13th February 2024: The Indian Women’s Hockey Team will play their sixth game of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 on 14th February when they take on the Netherlands at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela.

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team has had a tough time at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 having lost four of their five matches. After suffering a 1-2 defeat in their first match against China, the Indian Women’s Hockey team went on to lose 1-3 to the Netherlands and 0-3 to Australia before beating the United States 3-1 in their final match of the Bhubaneswar leg. In their first match of the Rourkela leg, India took the lead early in the game but China came back strongly to win the game 2-1.

“We haven’t got the results we have wanted but I believe we have what it takes to put on a good show and get a few points on our side. I think we are playing well in patches so if we can get more consistent with that, we can definitely go on to win more games,” said Indian Women’s Hockey Captain Savita.

While the World’s No.1 team the Netherlands has had the edge over the Indian Women’s Hockey Team, the latter has shown glimpses of what they’re capable of throughout the tournament. The results haven’t been in India’s favour but they will look to turn it around and go up the table when they play the Dutch on Wednesday.

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team Chief Coach Janneke Schopman said, “The Netherlands is a quality side but we are not short on talent or ability. We will be patient while keeping the intensity of our hockey high and try to convert any scoring opportunities we have.”  

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team will face the Netherlands at 1930hrs IST on 14th February.

All matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will be streamed on JioCinema, additionally, all India matches will be telecast on Sports18 – Khel.

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Women’s Hockey Team goes down 1-2 against China in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24

Rourkela, 12th February 2024: The Indian Women’s Hockey Team started their Rourkela leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 with a 1-2 loss to China. Despite the Indian Women’s Hockey Team taking the lead, a brace from Gu Bingfeng (14’, 53’) helped China win the match 2-1.

India took the lead early in the first quarter courtesy of an extraordinary cross from Vandana Katariya and an equally remarkable finish from Sangita Kumari (7’). Both the teams maintained their tempo and were awarded multiple penalty corners. While India wasn’t able to convert any of their three penalty corner opportunities, China made full use of their second one as Gu Bingfeng (14’) equalized with a little over a minute left in the first quarter.

China enjoyed greater possession of the ball in the second quarter but the Indian defence was resilient in not allowing the Chinese to connect the dots and take the lead. With about ten minutes left in the second quarter, China were awarded a penalty corner but Indian Captain and goalkeeper Savita made a good save. The Indian Women’s Hockey Team immediately broke into a counterattack and found themselves with an opportunity to score courtesy of another penalty corner. However, the Chinese defence didn’t let up as the half ended with both teams still having one goal apiece.

China was awarded a penalty corner early in the third quarter but a referral from a vigilant Neha Goyal led to that decision being reversed as the ball had hit the shin of Chinese player Huang Haiyan. India kept good control of the ball in the third quarter while the Chinese played deep inside their own half preventing the Indians from breaking through their defence. The stalemate continued with neither team finding the back of the net in the third quarter.

Both teams came close to taking the lead on numerous occasions but it was China who struck their second goal after being awarded a penalty stroke. GU Bingfeng (53’) stepped up to take the penalty stroke and made no mistake as the Chinese had their noses in front with about seven minutes left on the clock. India were awarded two successive penalty corners in the 55th minute but the Chinese defence kept the ball out in both instances. China held onto their slender lead of one goal as they went on to win the match 2-1.

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team will next take on the Netherlands at 1930hrs IST on 14th February.

All matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will be streamed on JioCinema, additionally, all India matches will be telecast on Sports18 – Khel.

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Men’s Hockey Team begins FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 season with 4-1 over Spain

Bhubaneswar, 10th February 2024: The Indian Men’s Hockey Team started their FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 season with a dominant 4-1 over Spain in their opening match held on Saturday at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar.

Harmanpreet Singh (7′, 20′) starred with a brace, while Jugraj Singh (24′) and Lalit Upadhyay (50′) scored a goal each to help India seal a 4-1 win in their opening match of the season. Spanish Captain Marc Miralles (34′) was the lone goalscorer for the visitors.

Both teams were cautious in their approach, as they focused on maintaining their structure, with accurate passes in the midfield. It was India who came up with the first real attack as Hardik Singh made a stunning run from the right flank to draw the first penalty corner, which was duly converted by Harmanpreet with a fiery low drag-flick, making it 1-0 in the 7th minute.

Although Spain had better ball possession, India were disciplined in the defence. They did not allow the visitors to create spaces and ended the opening quarter with a narrow 1-0 lead.

In their bid to score an equaliser, Spain started the second quarter brightly. They created a couple of goalscoring opportunities, and also had a penalty corner, but Indian goalie PR Sreejesh stood tall to deny visitors from equalising.

India immediately responded as they had as many as three back-to-back penalty corners, with the third one being rewarded into a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet once again stepped up and slotted the ball home with ease, making it 2-0 for the hosts in the 20th minute.

India rode on the momentum as they extended their lead through Jugraj’s low drag-flick that went through Spanish goalie Luis Calzado’s legs, making it 3-0 in the 24th minute.

With less than two minutes to go for the first half, Spain earned their second penalty corner of the match, but missed out on converting it. They also made forays inside India’s circle in the dying seconds, but the home side survived the danger, ending the first half with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Spain upped their ante and started the third quarter aggressively. They piled pressure on the Indian defence, and a stick tackle by Gurjant Singh gave away a penalty stroke to the visitors in the 34th minute. Miralles made no mistake in pulling a goal back for Spain as he slotted the ball into the top right corner of the goal.

The latter phase of the third quarter saw some end-to-end action, with both teams looking for spaces inside each other’s halves. India had their seventh penalty corner, but Jugraj’s drag-flick was off target.

Spain came out all guns blazing in the final quarter. They were relentless in their pursuit, and made dangerous runs inside, but Indian defence led by Sreejesh kept the visitors away from the goal.

India went on to add the fourth goal on the counter-attack. Sukhjeet orchestrated a fine run on the left, playing the ball to his teammate from the top of the circle. However, the deflection from Spanish defenders fell to Lalit, who was at the right place, at the right time, and hammered the ball into the nets through a reverse flick in the 50th minute.

Spain, on the other hand, had a glorious opportunity to pull a goal back in the 56th minute, but missed out on converting yet another penalty corner.

With less than two minutes to go for the final hooter, India were down to 10 men as Gurjant Singh was given the yellow card. Spain could make much of it as India ran down the clock to seal a comfortable 4-1 win. 

India will take on the defending Champions the Netherlands in their second match on  Sunday, 11th February.
 

All matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will be streamed on JioCinema, additionally, all India matches will be telecast on Sports18 – Khel.

by Abhishek Shukla

Hockey India congratulates Manpreet Singh on completing 350 international caps

Bhubaneswar, 10th February 2024: Hockey India congratulated Manpreet Singh on completing 350 International Caps when India took on Spain in their first match of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

Manpreet Singh hails from Punjab – a state known for producing top-quality hockey players for the country. Manpreet, a midfielder recognized for his agility, made his debut for the Indian Men’s Hockey Team in 2011 at the age of 19. He was a part of the Indian squad that won the 2011 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy held in Ordos, China as well as the squad that won the Silver medal in the 2013 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup in Malaysia. Manpreet also won the Gold medal with the Indian team at the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea.

Manpreet won the Silver medal with the Indian Team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Bronze medal in the 2014-15 Men’s FIH Hockey World League. This was followed by Silver medals in the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati and the 2016 Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy in London. He then went on to win the Gold medal with the Indian Team in the 2017 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh before helping India finish in third place at the 2016-17 Men’s FIH Hockey World League.

The year 2018 saw the now 31-year-old win the Silver medal with the Indian Team at the Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands, the Bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta and the Gold at the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat, Oman.

Manpreet won his first Olympic medal in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan as the Indian Team finished in third place and won another Bronze medal at the 2021 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka. The Indian Men’s Hockey Team won the Silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England with Manpreet playing a crucial role. He won the Gold medal with the Indian team at the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy held in Chennai before winning yet another Gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou later that year.

When asked about the colossal achievement, Manpreet said, “I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity of representing my country in 350 matches. It’s great to be playing a match of such significance at home in front of our fellow countrymen. I would like to thank my family, friends and support staff for their unwavering support throughout this journey. I am truly blessed to have had such great backing and I hope to continue to do justice to their efforts.”

Congratulating Manpreet on achieving this milestone, Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey said, “350 international matches is no mean feat. It takes a lot of grit and determination to be able to continuously deliver for the country for over a decade. Manpreet is an invaluable player to the Indian team and we congratulate him on reaching great heights in this game. We wish him continued success as he continues to inspire many people across all walks of life.”

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Women’s Hockey Team goes down 0-3 against Australia in FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24

Bhubaneswar, 7th February 2024: The Indian Women’s Hockey Team registered a 0-3 defeat against Australia in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 at Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Australia’s Captain Grace Stewart (19’), Tatum Stewart (23’), and Kaitlin Nobbs (55’) were the goalscorers on the day.

India started the match on the front foot, forcing Australia to concede a penalty corner in the second minute of the game but Australia’s goalkeeper Zoe Newman was on her toes to avert any danger. Both teams went on to create significant goalscoring chances in the next couple of minutes but were unable to find the final touch. Australia piled on the pressure as the first quarter came to a close but the Indian defence stood firm.

As India continued to search for a goal in the second quarter Australia initiated a counter through Kaitlin Nobbs who found herself open in the shooting circle and passed to Grace Stewart who tapped the ball in to score the first goal of the game. India tried to create chances but were unable to stitch together the final pass. Soon after, Australia looked to hurt India with a quick counter through Amy Lawton but her reverse shot was battered away by Bichu Devi Kharibam. Halfway through the second quarter Australia earned a penalty corner and a drag flick by Tatum Stewart doubled Australia’s lead in the game. India pegged Australia back as the first half was drawing to a close and earned two penalty corners but failed to capitalise on either of them and the scoreline remained 2-0.

The hockeyroos were happy to sit back and absorb the pressure in the third quarter as India struggled to find a chink in their armour. India had the opportunity to score through a penalty corner in the last minute of the quarter but Udita slapped the ball wide and Australia retained their two-goal lead.

India stepped up their press in the last quarter and were awarded a penalty corner two minutes in but India attempted a variation and Udita’s shot sailed wide of the post again. A few minutes later Mumtaz Khan swiveled to draw a foul in the shooting circle but the penalty corner was frantic and India failed to convert. Australia further increased their lead in the game as Kaitlin Nobbs rolled the ball through Savita’s leg to make it 3-0 with five minutes left in the game. As the game drew to a close Navneet attempted a shot on goal but the keeper remained alert in goal and the match ended 3-0 in Australia’s favour.

India will take on the United States next at 1930 hrs on 9th February.

All matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will be streamed on JioCinema, additionally, all India matches will be telecast on Sports18 – Khel.

by Abhishek Shukla

Australian Men’s Hockey Team arrives in Bhubaneswar for FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24

Bhubaneswar, 6th February 2024: The Australian Men’s Hockey Team landed in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday to begin their FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 campaign. The hockeyroos finished 7th in the previous campaign with 19 points.

The FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 (Men) is scheduled to take place at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar from 10th February to 16th February, before moving to the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, where the league will continue from 19th February to 25th February. Five national teams – Ireland, The Netherlands, India, Spain, and Australia – will participate in the India leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 (Men), facing each other once in Bhubaneswar and once in Rourkela.

Australia will take on Spain in their first match of the season on 11th February, followed by a clash with Ireland on 13th February. They will take on hosts India on 15th February, before they face the Netherlands in the last match of the Bhubaneswar leg on 16th February.

Australia’s goalkeeper Andrew Charter commented on the importance of the Pro League saying, “Preparations have been pretty good, we have been working really hard on our conditioning, we just had a little break over Christmas and we are feeling confident coming in. This mini-tournament is enormous for us primarily for the Paris 2024 Olympics; we want to use this as an opportunity to train a lot of our structures, test new things and get some experience to our younger team members. So, this is really valuable for us. And we’re putting a lot of importance on it.”

“Everyone’s going to be hard to play against, but Holland are looking pretty good right now. So I think our two games against Holland are going to be a really good test and India with the home support in Bhubaneswar is always going to be hard. The crowd’s going to be massive. So we’re looking forward to it,” he added when asked about the other teams in the league.

All matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will be streamed on JioCinema, additionally, all India matches will be telecast on Sports18 – Khel.

by Abhishek Shukla

Box Office ticket sales commence for the Rourkela leg of FIH Pro League 2023/24 matches

Bhubaneswar, 6th February 2024: The Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneshwar has witnessed some scintillating matches in the FIH Pro League 2023/24 so far. With the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela also scheduled to witness the Indian Hockey Teams in action against some of the best teams in the world soon, Hockey India will begin the sale of offline tickets for the Rourkela leg of FIH Pro League 2023/24 on 8th February.

Starting Thursday, the offline tickets for North Stand and East Stand will be on sale at Gate No. 2 of the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium while the tickets for West Stand and South Stand will be sold at Gate No. 6 between 11.00 AM and 6.00 PM. The tickets for the West Stand and East Stand are priced at Rs.500 and Rs.200 respectively. Meanwhile, North Stand and South Stand tickets are priced at Rs.100.

The Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium will host 10 matches of the Women’s teams from 12th February to 18th February, followed by 10 matches of the Men’s teams from 19th February to 25th February. The Women’s teams participating in the mini-tournament are the United States of America, China, the Netherlands, Australia, and India and the Men’s teams that would be participating are the Netherlands, Spain, Australia, Ireland, and India. Each team is scheduled to compete against each other once in this mini-tournament being held in Rourkela.

Commenting on the launch of the sale of physical tickets Dr. Dilip Tirkey, Hockey India President said, “Pro League action is set to continue in the state-of-the-art Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and I am certain that the matches there will be just as entertaining. I implore hockey fans to turn up in droves and support the Indian Hockey Teams as they take on the best teams in the world.”

Details of the tickets for sale are as under for all days:

STANDSTICKET PRICE PER DAY (Rs.)
West Stand First FloorRs.500/-
East Stand First FloorRs.200/-
North Stand First FloorRs.100/-
South Stand First FloorRs.100/-

Earlier, Hockey India announced online ticket sales for all the Women’s and Men’s matches in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. Fans can avail of the match tickets from www.ticketgenie.in, and there will be no need for redemption for physical tickets of online purchases.

All matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will be streamed on JioCinema, additionally, all India matches will be telecast on Sports18 – Khel.

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Women’s Hockey Team goes down 1-2 to China in FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24

Bhubaneswar, 3rd February 2024: The Indian Women’s Hockey Team began their FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 campaign with a 1-2 loss against China at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Saturday. Vandana Katariya (15’) scored the first goal of the game for India but Wen Dan (40’) and Bingfeng Gu (52’) scored later on to complete the comeback victory for China.

The match began with India attempting to dictate the tempo of the game with quick passes but they failed to create any significant goal threats. The first chance of the first quarter fell to China after a miscued clearance from India’s goalkeeper Savita, but China failed to capitalise. China’s Hua Liu was presented with a chance towards the end of the first quarter but her reverse shot flew wide of the post. As the game became stretched, Vandana Katariya dove to deflect Lalremsiami’s cross from the right wing to give India the lead in the final minute of the first quarter.

China answered by earning a penalty corner as soon as the second quarter began but Bichu Devi Kharibam and Ishika Chaudhary remained alert and diffused the threat to their goal. China took the initiative as the second quarter progressed but India rebuffed China’s advances and attempted to hurt them on the occasional counterattack. However, both teams failed to create any significant openings and the first half ended 1-0 in India’s favour.

Sangita Kumari and Salima Tete combined for a quick give-and-go as the second half began, enabling Sangita to initiate a dangerous run across the baseline but she couldn’t find a teammate in the shooting circle and the chance went begging. With five minutes to go in the third quarter, China’s Jiaqi Zhong dodged past a couple of Indian defenders and passed the ball to Wen Dan who dinked the ball over Savita to bring China back on level terms. India managed to earn a penalty corner in the last minute of the third quarter but they failed to score.

China shifted up a gear in the last quarter, pegging India back into their defensive half and eventually earning a penalty corner. After four re-awards, Bingfeng Gu pounced on a rebound and slapped the ball into the goal to give China the lead in the match. India aimed to restore parity but were unable to make inroads towards that end. As the game drew to a close China were awarded a series of penalty corners but Savita stood tall in goal and the match ended 2-1 in China’s favour.

All matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will be streamed on JioCinema, additionally, all India matches will be telecast on Sports18 – Khel.

by Abhishek Shukla

Eager to watch the FIH Hockey Pro League tie between Germany-Belgium this month, says Harmanpreet Singh

Bengaluru, 02 September 2020: The Indian Men’s Hockey Team defender and drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh feels the forthcoming FIH Hockey Pro League matches which resume on 22 September 2020 in Germany will provide insights into the variations and combinations the European teams will display.

The League will recommence with powerhouses Germany and Belgium facing-off against each-other. “Both these teams are really good and of course we are eager to watch them play and we will be following these matches closely because it will give us insights into their variations, any new combinations they are using,” stated the drag-flicker who is currently part of the on-going National Coaching Camp in SAI, Bengaluru. 

Harmanpreet, who Captained the India to victory at the FIH Olympic Test Event in Tokyo last year, feels the Indian Team has plenty of time to return to their formidable form and watching these FIH Pro League matches will help them implement changes to their tactics and be prepared before they begin their FIH Pro League campaign in April next year. “I feel we have enough time to prepare. Since we will be following these teams closely, we will be able to make timely implements into our game,” expressed Harmanpreet further adding that the Coaching Staff ensuring the players maintained their fitness levels over the past five months when training and coaching activities were halted due to nation-wide lockdowns, will be a key factor to bounce back. 

“The good thing that happened during the past five months was the Coaching Staff particularly our Scientific Advisor Robin Arkel kept a close watch on our fitness and diet. Even when we were on a break, we had a schedule to follow. I think these factors will help us bounce back,” added the defender who recently took part in an online webinar where he interacted with over 50 students and faculty members of a University in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. 

“It was the first time I was doing something like this online. I enjoyed sharing my knowledge about the game with the students. They had many questions on shaping and nurturing talent from the age of 12-13 years of age and they were also keen on understanding how one adapts to playing on synthetic turf after being used to grass surface. The session was interactive and I was particularly happy to know that the students followed our team’s performances closely,” recalled Harmanpreet who engaged in this online activity on Major Dhyanchand’s 115th birth centenary on Saturday 29th August 2020.