Bhubaneswar: The 13th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship is set to begin on Tuesday at the world-class Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha, with players from 28 teams competing for the trophy. The 28 teams are divided into eight groups, with the winners of each group advancing to the Quarter-Finals.
Hockey Haryana, the two-time defending Champions, are in Pool A along with Hockey Bengal and Telangana Hockey.
"We have some good teams in our pool and are prepared to face a tough fight from all the teams as we have been practising with the aim of retaining the title yet again," Hockey Haryana Coach Azad Singh said of the team's chances.
"We will look to play attacking hockey, capitalise on our strength in penalty corners, and put our best foot forward in the National Championships, as we have in done previous years," he said.
Last year's runners-up Hockey Jharkhand are placed in Pool B alongside Hockey Rajasthan and Assam Hockey.
Hockey Association of Odisha finished third during the previous edition of the tournament and this time around they look to go all the way. The Hockey Association of Odisha are placed in Pool C alongside the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Manipur Hockey.
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 & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey are in Pool F, while Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Andhra Pradesh, Hockey Himachal Pradesh, and Goans Hockey are in Pool H.
The Championships will kick off with Hockey Karnataka taking on Hockey Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday. (with ANI inputs)
