Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 6 : On the first sunday of April 2025, Telangana Hockey and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey had a progressive day as both the teams secured their first win in the tournament, in the 15th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2025, here in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
In the first match between Telangana Hockey and Hockey Uttarakhand, Telangana Hockey proved to be the better one as they defeated Hockey Uttarakhand 4-0 in Division 'B'. Mohd Affan Khan (15', 50') scored a brace for the winning side. Venkatesh Telugu (8') and Ram Kumar Vetti (60') also scored one goal each to take the game away from Hockey Uttarakhand, as per a press release from Hockey India.
In the other match of Division 'B', Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey defeated Assam Hockey 2-1, to secure the first win in the tournament, in the closely contested encounter. Kunal Yadav (11') and Sajal Saxena (16') scored for the victorious team whereas Pavan Dr (21') managed to score the consolation goal for Assam Hockey.
The 15th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2025 is taking place from April 4 to April 15, 2025 at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The tournament is being played in the same new Division-based format as the Senior Women National Championship was played in March, according to a release from Hockey India.
The domestic competition which will now also feature promotion and relegation battles, will see the 30 teams participating, divided into three Divisions: Division A, Division B, and Division C.
The Division A will be the highest Division as the teams will fight for the championship title. Division B will have teams competing for promotion to Division A next season while in Division C, the teams will fight for a spot in Division B for the next edition.
Division A includes the top 12 teams in India based on their overall performances in the tournament over the years. Defending champions Hockey Association of Odisha and runners-up Hockey Haryana are also part of Division A.
The teams are split into four pools in Division A:
Pool A: Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Madhya Pradesh
Pool B: Hockey Haryana, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Jharkhand
Pool C: Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Bengal
Pool D: Manipur Hockey, Hockey Karnataka, Le Puducherry Hockey
Each team will play every opponent once in their respective pools. This will be the only division featuring a knockout stage as the top two teams from each pool will advance to the Quarterfinals, scheduled for 12th April, followed by the Semifinals on 13th April, and the Final and 3rd/4th place match on 15th April. The bottom two teams from Division A will be relegated to Division B for the next edition.
In Division B, 10 teams will compete for promotion to Division A. The teams are divided into two pools:
Pool A: Hockey Chandigarh, Goans Hockey, Telangana Hockey, Hockey Andhra Pradesh, Hockey Uttarakhand
Pool B: Delhi Hockey, Hockey Mizoram, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey, Kerala Hockey, Assam Hockey
The top two teams from Division B will earn promotion to Division A for the next season, while the bottom two will be relegated to Division C.
Eight teams in Division C will compete for promotion to Division B. The teams are divided in two pools:
Pool A: Hockey Raj, Hockey Arunachal, Hockey Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura Hockey
Pool B: Chhattisgarh Hockey, Hockey Himachal, Hockey Association of Bihar, Hockey Gujarat
Similarly, the teams in Division C will only play league matches, with the top two teams securing promotion to Division B.
The points system in all three divisions is the same. Each team will be awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. In Division A, the league stage will be followed by the knockout rounds, while Divisions B and C will conclude with final standings determined by points won in the pool matches.
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