Hockey India Announces 65-Member Core Group for Women's National Coaching Camp

Hockey India Unveils Core Group for Upcoming Camp

On March 22, Hockey India (HI) revealed a 65-member core probable group set to participate in the Senior Women’s National Coaching Camp, which is scheduled to begin at SAI in Bengaluru on March 23.

This selection was influenced by the players' recent performances during the 15th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship held in Panchkula, where Hockey Jharkhand clinched the title after a thrilling shootout against Hockey Haryana.

Among the 30 players retained from the previous core group, new talents have been called up from various state teams, including Assam Hockey, Hockey Chandigarh, Hockey Himachal, SAI, Hockey Bengal, UP Hockey, Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Karnataka, Manipur Hockey, Hockey Punjab, Kerala Hockey, MP Hockey, CRPF, Odisha, CBDT, Hockey Mizoram, Hockey Maharashtra, and Hockey AP.

Harendra Singh, the Chief Coach of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team, attended the national championship to scout for emerging talent. He stated, “We observed some exceptionally skilled players at the National Championships earlier this month, and selections were made based on their performances for their respective state teams. This camp with 65 players will help us assess their readiness for the next stage in their careers,” as per the HI press release.

Singh further explained that the group will be narrowed down to 40 players for the next phase of the FIH Hockey Pro League. From March 31 to April 19, this group of 40 will train for the upcoming international event. However, from April 23 to 30, the larger group of 65 will be closely evaluated, and the final list of 40 will be confirmed based on their performance.

The retained players from the existing core group include Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Bansari Solanki, Madhuri Kindo, Mahima Chaudhary, Nikki Pradhan, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Jyoti Chhatri, Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Neha, Salima Tete, Manisha Chauhan, Ajmina Kujur, Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi, Baljeet Kaur, Deepika Soreng, Navneet Kaur, Sangita Kumari, Vandana Katariya, Deepika, Preeti Dubey, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, Deauty Dungdung, and Mumtaz Khan.

Newcomers invited to the camp include Samiksha Saxena, Komalpreet Kaur, Mahima, Kirti Deshmukh, Sapna Bhengra, Anjali Barwa, Anjna Dungdung, Meenu Rani, Niru Kullu, Kruthika Prakash, Suman Devi Thoudam, Sujata Kujur, Mahima Tete, Albela Rani Toppo, Pooja Yadav, Sakshi Shukla, Simran Singh, Nandini, Karmanpreet Kaur, Annu, Chandana Jagadish, Selestina Horo, Nikki Kullu, Kavita, Jyoti, Lotla Mary, Kajal Sadashiv Atpadkar, Rajni Bala, Aishwarya Chavan, Pinki Ekka, Dipimonika Toppo, Usha, Manju Chorsiya, Ashwini Kolekar, and Hritika Singh.