Indian women's hockey team for Asian Champions Trophy 2023 announced

Goalkeeper Savita Punia to lead the 20-member contingent.

Hockey India on Wednesday announced the 20-member Indian Women's Hockey Team that will be travelling for the prestigious Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023 set to take place from 27th October to 5th November. India, which recently claimed the Bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, will be competing in the tournament alongside Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Savita will be leading the Indian Women's Hockey Team in the tournament with Deep Grace Ekka as her deputy. India will open their campaign in the tournament against Thailand on Friday, 27th October 2023, and then follow it up with a match against Malaysia on Saturday, 28th October 2023. India will take on China in their third game on Monday, 30th October 2023, and then compete against Japan on Tuesday, 31st October 2023.

India will play their final pool game against Korea on Thursday, 2nd November. The Semi-Finals and Final of the tournament will be played on Saturday, 4th November 2023, and Sunday, 5th November 2023, respectively. 

Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam have been named in the list of goalkeepers in the squad while Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, and Deep Grace Ekka have been named as defenders.

Nisha, Salima Tete, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Sonika, Monika, Jyoti, and Baljeet Kaur form the midfield line-up, while Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, and Vandana Katariya have been named as the forwards in the squad. Meanwhile, Sharmila Devi and Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke will also travel with the squad as the backup options.

Speaking on the upcoming competition, Indian Women's Hockey Team Chief Coach Janneke Schopman said, "It is an important tournament for us to continue our momentum and our steady improvement as a team. While we performed well at the Asian Games to claim the Bronze medal, the upcoming tournament will give us a chance to further improve our standings against our Asian challengers.

"We will get a chance to put our learnings from Hangzhou into action and test ourselves once again. With the tournament happening in Ranchi, Jharkhand, we are eager to perform our best in front of home fans, and showcase our growth as a team."

Below is the Indian Women's Hockey Team for Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023.

Indian Women's Hockey Team:

• Goalkeepers: Savita (Captain), Bichu Devi Kharibam
• Defenders: Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary. Deep Grace Ekka (Vice-Captain)
• Midfielders: Nisha, Salima Tete, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Sonika, Monika, Jyoti, Baljeet Kaur
• Forwards: Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Vandana Katariya
• Replacement players: Sharmila Devi, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke

The matches will be broadcast and streamed live on Sony Sports Network.