Less than a month after the closure of Paris Olympics 2024, hockey fans are in for another high-octane event, in the form of the Asian Champions Trophy. The continent's most significant hockey competition will be played in in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia in China from 8 to 17 September 2024. (More Hockey News)
India are the defending champions at the event, having won the 2023 title as hosts on the back of a clinical, unbeaten campaign in Chennai. They will vie for top honours again, against Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and hosts China.
Hockey India on Wednesday (August 28) named an 18-member squad led by ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh for the tournament, with Krishan Bahadur Pathak expectedly being promoted to main goalkeeper duties following PR Sreejesh's international retirement.
The legendary Sreejesh bowed out with a second successive Olympic bronze medal around his neck, as India beat Spain 2-1 in the third-place game at Paris 2024.
Experienced midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad has been named the vice-captain in place of Hardik Singh, who has been rested along with Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Shamsher Singh and Gurjant Singh.
The Asian Champions Trophy will also be a huge chance for promising drag-flicker Jugraj Singh, who was in Paris as a standby and will look to demonstrate his credentials alongside the red-hot Harmanpreet.
In all, 10 players from the Paris Olympics squad are part of this team.
“This is an important campaign for us to ensure we build on our ranking points. The team has just returned to the camp after all the celebrations following our performance in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The past few weeks have truly been incredible with all the love and adulation for the team and we hope this support will continue all through our future campaigns,” head coach Craig Fulton said.
“The new Olympic cycle for us begins with the Asian Champions Trophy and we are ready for the challenge. While we have rested a few players from the squad that played in Paris, we have brought in a few youngsters who have done well in training and have earned the opportunity to play in Asian Champions Trophy.
"We will have Gurjot (Singh) making his international debut, and I believe this is a great opportunity for youngsters who have received a call-up to shine. As a team, we want to continue to dominate in the Asian continent and we will go to China to retain the title,” the coach added.
Indian Men’s Hockey Squad For Asian Champions Trophy 2024
Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera.
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit.
Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (VC), Manpreet Singh, Mohd. Raheel Mouseen.
Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Gurjot Singh.
Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2024: Full Schedule
September 8, 11am: Korea vs Japan
September 8, 1:15pm: Malaysia vs Pakistan
September 8, 3:30pm: India vs China
September 9, 11am: Korea vs Pakistan
September 9, 1:15pm: India vs Japan
September 9, 3:30pm: China vs Malaysia
September 11, 11am: Pakistan vs Japan
September 11, 1:15pm: India vs Malaysia
September 11, 3:30pm: China vs Korea
September 12, 11am: Japan vs Malaysia
September 12, 1:15pm: India vs Korea
September 12, 3:30pm: Pakistan vs China
September 14, 11am: Malaysia vs Korea
September 14, 1:15pm: India vs Pakistan
September 14, 3:30pm: Japan vs China
September 16, 10:30am: 5th-6th place play-off
September 16, 1pm: Semi-Final 1
September 16, 3:30pm: Semi-Final 2
September 17, 1pm: Third-place play-off
September 17, 3:30pm: Final
Note: All timings are in IST
Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2024: Telecast, Live Streaming Details
All the matches of Asian Champions Trophy 2024 will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports TEN 1 TV channel in India. They will be live streamed on the Sony LIV app and website in India.
