Latest news with #FIHHockeyProLeague
Hans India
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Big chance to qualify for WC through Pro League: Hardik
New Delhi: Placed in a strong third position on the points table as they resume their campaign in the away leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024–25 (Men), India vice captain Hardik Singh emphasised the importance of finishing the prestigious tournament on top. 'We have spoken about this within the squad and believe that if we stick to the plan, accumulate enough points, and push for wins - even securing points from draws and subsequent shootouts - we stand a great chance of qualifying for the World Cup through the Pro League,' said a confident Hardik. Putting things into perspective, he added, 'Belgium (currently ranked No.2) and the Netherlands (placed behind India at No.4) qualify automatically as co-hosts of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in 2026. That leaves England, who are on top, along with Germany and Spain, as the key competitors vying for qualification. Our matches against Argentina will also be crucial. This is a good challenge for us to have, and qualifying early would give us more time to prepare for the World Cup.' As of now, Australia (placed No.6 in the ongoing Pro League) have qualified for the World Cup as winners of the previous edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, while Belgium and the Netherlands qualify as hosts. Germany, currently placed fifth, still have six matches left and can potentially pose a threat to India's qualification plans. Meanwhile, the Indian team's focus and precision in preparation for their European campaign has been evident during the multiple red, orange, and green training sessions at the centralised training camp in SAI, Bengaluru over the past three weeks. 'The sessions have been nothing short of rigorous,' laughed Hardik, highlighting the hard yards the team has put in, particularly in terms of fitness and conditioning. 'We have really been put through the grind by the coach and Alan (Scientific Advisor). Our strength and conditioning have been on point—mainly because we want to be at our peak for back-to-back matches. We practically have no rest days between games, and even when we do, we'll be travelling from the Netherlands to Belgium,' he explained. India will begin their European leg with back-to-back matches against the Netherlands on June 7 and 9, followed by a double-header against Argentina on June 11 and 12 at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen. The team will then travel to Antwerp to face Australia on June 14 and 15, before concluding their campaign against hosts Belgium June on 21 and 22. 'Every point in these six matches will matter. Another exciting aspect of this campaign is that the matches are being played at the same venues where the World Cup will be held next year. This gives us a better understanding of what to expect. We're treating this like a World Cup simulation, and that makes this outing even more important for our squad,' Hardik signed off.
India Gazette
26-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
"There's a realistic chance to qualify for World Cup if we stick to the plan in FIH Hockey Pro League," says India VC Hardik Singh
New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): Placed in a strong third position on the points table as they resume their campaign in the away leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 (Men), India Vice Captain Hardik Singh emphasized the importance of finishing the prestigious tournament on top. On June 7, India will continue its FIH Hockey Pro League campaign against the Netherlands at Amstelveen. Currently, India is in the third spot, with five wins and three losses. 'We have spoken about this within the squad and believe that if we stick to the plan, accumulate enough points, and push for wins--even securing points from draws and subsequent shootouts--we stand a great chance of qualifying for the World Cup through the Pro League,' said Hardik as quoted by a Hockey India press release. Putting things into perspective, he added, 'Belgium (currently ranked number two) and the Netherlands (placed behind India at number four) qualify automatically as co-hosts of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in 2026. That leaves England, who are on top, along with Germany and Spain, as the key competitors vying for qualification. Our matches against Argentina will also be crucial. This is a good challenge for us to have, and qualifying early would give us more time to prepare for the World Cup.' As of now, Australia (placed at number six in the ongoing Pro League) have qualified for the World Cup as winners of the previous edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, while Belgium and the Netherlands qualify as hosts. Germany, currently placed fifth, still has six matches left and can potentially pose a threat to India's qualification plans. Meanwhile, the Indian team's focus and precision in preparation for their European campaign has been evident during the multiple red, orange, and green training sessions at the centralized training camp in SAI, Bengaluru over the past three weeks. 'The sessions have been nothing short of rigorous,' laughed Hardik, highlighting the hard yards the team has put in, particularly in terms of fitness and conditioning. 'We have really been put through the grind by the coach and Alan (Scientific Advisor). Our strength and conditioning have been on point, mainly because we want to be at our peak for back-to-back matches. We practically have no rest days between games, and even when we do, we'll be travelling from the Netherlands to Belgium,' he explained. India will begin their European leg with back-to-back matches against the Netherlands on June 7 and 9, followed by a double-header against Argentina on June 11 and 12 at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen. The team will then travel to Antwerp to face Australia on June 14 and 15, before concluding their campaign against hosts Belgium on June 21 and 22. 'Every point in these six matches will matter. Another exciting aspect of this campaign is that the matches are being played at the same venues where the World Cup will be held next year. This gives us a better understanding of what to expect. We are treating this like a World Cup simulation, and that makes this outing even more important for our squad,' Hardik signed off. (ANI)
United News of India
26-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
There's a realistic chance to qualify for World Cup if we stick to plan in FIH Hockey: Hardik
New Delhi, May 26 (UNI) Placed in a strong third position on the points table as they resume their campaign in the away leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024–25 (Men), India Vice Captain Hardik Singh emphasized the importance of finishing the prestigious tournament on top. 'We have spoken about this within the squad and believe that if we stick to the plan, accumulate enough points, and push for wins—even securing points from draws and subsequent shootouts—we stand a great chance of qualifying for the World Cup through the Pro League,' said a confident Hardik. Putting things into perspective, he added, 'Belgium (currently ranked No.2) and the Netherlands (placed behind India at No.4) qualify automatically as co-hosts of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in 2026. That leaves England, who are on top, along with Germany and Spain, as the key competitors vying for qualification. Our matches against Argentina will also be crucial. This is a good challenge for us to have, and qualifying early would give us more time to prepare for the World Cup.' As of now, Australia (placed No.6 in the ongoing Pro League) have qualified for the World Cup as winners of the previous edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, while Belgium and the Netherlands qualify as hosts. Germany, currently placed fifth, still have six matches left and can potentially pose a threat to India's qualification plans. Meanwhile, the Indian team's focus and precision in preparation for their European campaign has been evident during the multiple red, orange, and green training sessions at the centralized training camp in SAI, Bengaluru over the past three weeks. 'The sessions have been nothing short of rigorous,' laughed Hardik, highlighting the hard yards the team has put in, particularly in terms of fitness and conditioning. 'We have really been put through the grind by the coach and Alan (Scientific Advisor). Our strength and conditioning have been on point—mainly because we want to be at our peak for back-to-back matches. We practically have no rest days between games, and even when we do, we'll be traveling from the Netherlands to Belgium,' he explained. India will begin their European leg with back-to-back matches against the Netherlands on June 7 and 9, followed by a double-header against Argentina on June 11 and 12 at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen. The team will then travel to Antwerp to face Australia on June 14 and 15, before concluding their campaign against hosts Belgium on June 21 and 22. 'Every point in these six matches will matter. Another exciting aspect of this campaign is that the matches are being played at the same venues where the World Cup will be held next year. This gives us a better understanding of what to expect. We're treating this like a World Cup simulation, and that makes this outing even more important for our squad,' Hardik signed off. UNI BM
India Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
India announce team for FIH Hockey Pro League European leg, squad size reduced to 24
Hockey India has announced the men's squad for the upcoming European leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League, which is scheduled to take place in Amstelveen, the Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium from 7th to 22nd June 2025. The squad size has been reduced from 32 to 24 with Harmanpreet Singh being the captain and Hardik Singh working as his deputy. The squad size was 32 during the home leg of the tournament. advertisementIndia will begin their European leg with two matches each against the Netherlands on 7th and 9th June, followed by the double header against Argentina on 11th and 12th June in Amstelveen. This will be followed by a trip to Antwerp to take on Australia on 14th and 15th June, before facing Belgium on 21st and 22nd Full coverage Speaking about the squad selection, coach Craig Fulton said that they were looking to add more experience this time around and the side has been training well. Fulton also said that he wants to draw a few games and take into shoot-outs and still get points on the board. 'We wanted a bit more experience in the squad this time around, and I am really happy with the selection. The team has been training well as we're looking to try and push as hard as possible and win the Pro League. Since there's qualification for the World Cup on the line, we want to try and get as many points to put ourselves in a good position for that.'advertisement'We haven't drawn any games so far in the tournament and I believe we need to turn our losses into draws and then go for a shootout, so if we don't really get the desired results, we can still get points on the board. We also need to improve our penalty corner conversion rate so yes, we've got some good objectives to try and achieve this time around,' he played the home leg of the Hockey Pro League 2024-25 in Bhubaneswar, where they got 15 points with five wins in eight games and now stand third in the points table. The top team in the Hockey Pro League will secure direct qualification to the 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup. Indian Men's Hockey Team for FIH Pro League 2024-25 European Leg:GOALKEEPERS: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj KarkeraDEFENDERS: Sumit, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Yashdeep Siwach MIDFIELDERS: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh (VC), Rajinder Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh FORWARDS: Gurjant Singh, Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh
India Gazette
22-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Hockey India announces 24-member India Team for FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 European leg
New Delhi [India], May 22 (ANI): Hockey India on Thursday announced the 24-member Indian Men's Hockey Team for the European leg of FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 (Men), which is scheduled to take place in Amstelveen, the Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium from June 7 to June 22, as per a release from Hockey India. Experienced drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh will continue to lead the side as Captain, with midfield maestro Hardik Singh joining him as Vice-Captain. India will begin their European leg with two matches each against the Netherlands on June 7th and 9th, followed by the doubleheader against Argentina on June 11-12 at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen. The team will then travel to Antwerp to face Australia on June 14th and 15th before ending their campaign against hosts Belgium on June 21st-22nd. The squad includes Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Suraj Karkera as the goalkeepers. Sumit, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Captain Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay and Yashdeep Siwach will occupy the team's defence. In midfield, the team features Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vice Captain Hardik Singh, young prodigy Rajinder Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Shamsher Singh. Gurjant Singh, Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh, and Sukhjeet Singh will be the attackers for Team India. India played the home leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 (Men) in Bhubaneswar earlier this year. They secured fifteen points with five wins in eight games and now stand third in the points table. With the highest-placed team of the league securing a spot in the 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup, India will be hoping to improve upon their performance and win maximum points in the remaining eight matches of the tournament. Speaking on the squad selection, Indian Men's Team Chief Coach Craig Fulton stated, as quoted from a release by Hockey India, 'We wanted a bit more experience in the squad this time around and I am really happy with the selection. The team has been training well as we're looking to try and push as hard as possible and win the Pro League. Since there's qualification for the World Cup on the line, we want to try and get as many points to put ourselves in a good position for that.' Reflecting on the Bhubaneswar leg and the way ahead, Fulton said, 'We haven't drawn any games so far in the tournament and I believe we need to turn our losses into draws and then go for a shootout, so if we don't really get the desired results, we can still get points on the board. We also need to improve our penalty corner conversion rate so yes, we've got some good objectives to try and achieve this time around.' Indian Men's Hockey Team for FIH Pro League 2024-25 European leg: Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera Defenders: Sumit, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Yashdeep Siwach Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh (VC), Rajinder Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh Forwards: Gurjant Singh, Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh. (ANI)
