13th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship: Chandigarh eves to face Gujarat today
June 27, 2023, Chandigarh
Hockey Chandigarh will take on Hockey Gujarat in their opening game of the 13th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship, set to begin on June 27, at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha. The Chandigarh eves have been placed in Pool G with the teams of Mizoram, Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
Players from 28 teams will be competing for the trophy. The teams have been divided into eight groups, with the winner of each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Hockey Haryana, the two-time defending champions, are in Pool A with Hockey Bengal and Telangana Hockey.
“We have some good teams in our pool and are prepared to face a tough fight from all the teams as we have been practising with the aim of retaining the title again,” Hockey Haryana coach Azad Singh said of the team’s chances. Last year’s runners-up, Hockey Jharkhand, are placed in Pool B alongside the Rajasthan and Assam teams. Hockey Jharkhand coach Himanshu reiterated his intention to win the championship.
“We have been practising for more than a week. Our sessions have been focused on exploiting the weaknesses found in previous years’ opponents, as well as working on set pieces and playing practice matches,” the coach said.
Hockey Association of Odisha finished third during the previous edition of the tournament and this time around they look to go all the way. Hockey Association of Odisha are placed in Pool C alongside Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Manipur Hockey.
Hockey Maharashtra, Delhi Hockey and Kerala Hockey are in Pool D, while Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Le Puducherry Hockey and Hockey Jammu and Kashmir are in Pool E. The teams of Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Goans Hockey are in Pool H. The championship will kick off with Hockey Karnataka taking on Hockey Jammu & Kashmir on June 27.
