FIH Pro League Live Blog: India to take on New Zealand in season opener

India will play a doubleheader against New Zealand and Spain.

6:30: Hello everyone and welcome to Khel Now’s LIVE COVERAGE of the India vs New Zealand match in the FIH Pro League 2022-23. Harmanpreet Singh will lead the squad for the first four games.  Please wait for 30 Seconds for the Live blog to load.

The Indian men’s hockey team will begin their campaign in the FIH Pro League in Bhubaneshwar on Friday. India will play doubleheader matches against New Zealand and Spain. The first game will be played against New Zealand at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday followed by the second game against Spain on Sunday.

Harmanpreet to lead the squad

India finished third in the last season and fourth in the 2020-21 season. Harmanpreet Singh will lead the team in the competition with Manpreet Singh alongside him as the Vice Captain. Manpreet led the Indian men’s hockey team to a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Harmanpreet Singh finished the Birmingham Games with nine goals in his name alongside Gareth Furlong of Wales. Harmanpreet has been a prolific goalscorer for the team and a lethal player in the penalty corners. Coach Graham Reid has put his trust in the 26-year-old to captain the squad for the first four games. He was also named the FIH Player of the Year for two consecutive years.

The team will be looking to finish in the top two this time. Coach Graham Reid’s squad will be playing their first four games in Bhubhaneshwar and India’s next match will be played in May 2023 after the Men’s Hockey World Cup in January. The Indian team will play its final FIH Pro League home fixtures in Rourkela before travelling abroad to complete the season.

Squad

India’s 22-member squad for the first four games at the FIH Pro League:

Goalkeepers – Sreejesh PR, Krishan Bahadur PathakDefenders – Jugraj Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Mandeep Mor, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jarmanpreet SinghMidfielders – Moirangthem Singh, Sumit, Manpreet Singh (VC), Hardik Singh, Samsher Singh, Rajkumar Pal, Mohd. Raheel Mouseen, Nilakanta SharmaForwards – S. Karthi, Abhishek, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh

Schedule

Friday – October 28 – India vs New Zealand – 7:10 PM IST

Sunday – October 30 – India vs Spain – 7:10 PM IST

Friday – November 4 – India vs New Zealand – 7:10 PM IST

Sunday – November 6 – India vs Spain – 7:10 PM IST

Streaming

The games will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports Select HD 2 TV channels. Live streaming of the matches will also be available on Disney + Hotstar.