New Delhi, July 21 The Indian men's and women's teams will start their campaigns in Season 5 of the FIH Pro League at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar and the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela, in February 2024.
The Indian men’s hockey team, which finished fourth in the 2022-23 edition, will face Spain in their first match of the 2023/2024 FIH Pro League on February 10, 2024, at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
In the upcoming season, India will take on Spain, Netherlands, Australia, and Ireland in home games at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela and play against Argentina and Belgium in away games at Antwerp, Belgium and Germany and Great Britain in away games at Lee Valley, Great Britain.
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who finished as the top goal-scorer in the previous edition, said the players are looking forward to success in FIH Pro League Season 5 matches.
“The team is looking forward to playing against strong teams like Spain, Netherlands, Australia, and Ireland at home, in the initial stages of the league. We performed well in the last edition of the FIH Pro League but we want to do better this season, we have an undefeated run in the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela and we will give our all to ensure that it remains that way and we will aim to perform at the same level, be it Bhubaneswar, Antwerp, or Lee Valley,” Harmanpreet Singh was quoted as saying in the release.
“We believe that the Pro League matches will be a perfect platform for us to see where we stand ahead of Paris 2024. We are excited to begin the campaign at home in Odisha,” added Harmanpreet Singh.
The Indian women’s hockey team, which has been promoted to this edition of the FIH Pro League after winning the FIH Nations League, will take the field first against China on February 6, 2024, at the Kalinga Stadium.
This will be followed by matches against Netherlands, Australia, and USA before they move to Rourkela, where they will take the field against China, Netherlands, Australia, and USA again, Hockey India informed in a release on Friday.
"After the home matches, the Indian eves will play away games in Antwerp, Belgium and Lee Valley, London where they will face off against Argentina, Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain respectively," the Hockey India release said.
Elated to have qualified for the upcoming season, the Indian Women’s hockey team captain Savita said, “We battled it out with some great teams in the FIH Nations Cup 2022 and earned our place in the FIH Pro League. The team is looking forward to the challenge of playing against the top-ranked teams in the world and testing our mettle against them. These matches are a great litmus test to see where we stand, and we want to use this opportunity to raise the standard of our game particularly ahead of Paris 2024,” said Savita.
--IANS
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