New Delhi. The 13th Hockey India Junior Women’s National Championship begins on Tuesday at the world-class Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha with 28 teams participating. The 28 teams are divided into 8 groups, with the winners of each group advancing to the quarter-finals.
Two-time defending champions Hockey Haryana are in Pool A along with Bengal and Telangana.
Hockey Haryana coach Azad Singh said about the team’s prospects, “We have some good teams in our pool and we are ready to face a tough challenge from all the teams as we train with the aim of retaining the title once again. We will try to play aggressive hockey, take advantage of our strengths in penalty corners and give our best in the national championship, just like we have done in previous years.
Last year’s runners-up Jharkhand have been placed in Pool B along with Rajasthan and Assam.
Reiterating their intention to win the National Championship, Hockey Jharkhand coach Himanshu said, “We have been practicing for a little over a week now. Our sessions have been focused on exploiting the weaknesses found in previous years opponents as well as set pieces. We are focused on working on it. We are playing practice matches. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to improve our goal-scoring and convert the silver medal into gold this time.”
Hockey Association of Odisha finished third during the previous edition of the tournament and this time also they are trying to move up. Hockey Association of Odisha is placed in Pool C along with Tamil Nadu Hockey Unit and Manipur Hockey.
Hockey Association of Odisha coach Edgar said, “We have been preparing for the last three weeks, mainly focusing on our fitness and fundamentals. Game plan on the ball while communicating effectively to create opportunities. The national championship is full of excellent competition with teams like Hockey Haryana, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Punjab and Hockey Chandigarh and we look forward to facing them on our way to the podium.’ ‘
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. Hockey Chandigarh, Hockey Mizoram, Hockey Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu are in Hockey Pool F, while Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Andhra Pradesh, Hockey Himachal Pradesh and Goa are in Hockey Pool H.
Hockey Karnataka will face Jammu and Kashmir in the first match of the championship.
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