Harmanpreet to lead India on European leg of FIH Pro League
India will begin their European leg with two matches each against the Netherlands on 7 and 9th June followed by the double-header against Argentina on 11th and 12th June at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen.
Hockey India team at the training camp
NEW DELHI: 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 7 to 22nd June.
Experienced dragflicker 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 7 and 9th June followed by the double-header against Argentina on 11th and 12th June at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen.
The team will then travel to Antwerp to face Australia on 14th and 15th June before they end their campaign against hosts Belgium on 21st and 22nd June.
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 while 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 where they secured fifteen points with five wins in eight games and now stand third in the points table. With the highest-placed team in the league securing a spot in the 2026 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup.
Speaking on the squad selection, Indian Men’s Team Chief Coach Craig Fulton stated, “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 and 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.”
