NEW DELHI: The 7th edition of the men's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament, which was instituted in 2011, is set to begin at Chennai's Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium on Thursday (August 3), with the final scheduled for August 13.
It's the first time that the tournament is being held in India, and the Tamil Nadu capital will be hosting an international hockey tournament after a gap of more than 15 years.
Why the tournament is important?
Coming less than two months before the all-important Asian Games in China, from where the gold medallists qualify directly for the Paris Olympics next year, the tournament offers crucial practice to the teams that will also be contesting at the continental games scheduled for September 23 to October 8. It will also be the first home tournament for India's new chief coach Craig Fulton.
Which teams are participating?
India, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Pakistan and China.
World No. 4 India are the top-ranked side and China are ranked the lowest among the six teams at No. 25. India is also the only team in the field with Pro League experience.
What is the format of the tournament?
The six participating teams will play each other once in a round-robin format, with the top four progressing to the semifinals.
What is India's record in the tournament?
India and Pakistan have lifted the trophy three times each. While India emerged champions in 2011 and 2016, Pakistan won it in 2012 and 2013. The two arch-rivals were declared the joint winners in 2018, when the final was washed out by rain.
However, India would want to improve their recent showing in the tournament, losing in the semifinals in the last edition in 2021, where South Korea topped the podium with a win over Japan in the final.
What is the schedule of India's fixtures?
India will play all their round-robin games at 8:30 pm IST. Here's the schedule of the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists:
Aug 3 - India vs China
Aug 4 - India vs Japan
Aug 6 - India vs Malaysia
Aug 7 - India vs South Korea
Aug 9 - India vs Pakistan
The semifinals are on Aug 11 and the final on Aug 13.
OTHER FIXTURES (IST)
Aug 3 - South Korea vs Japan - 4 pm
Aug 3 - Malaysia vs Pakistan - 6:15 pm
Aug 4 - Korea vs Pakistan - 4 pm
Aug 4 - China vs Malaysia - 6:15 pm
Aug 6 - China vs Korea - 4 pm
Aug 6 - Pakistan vs Japan - 6:15 pm
Aug 7 - Japan vs Malaysia - 4 pm
Aug 7 - Pakistan vs China - 6:15 pm
Aug 9 - Japan vs China - 4 pm
Aug 9 - Malaysia vs Korea - 6:15 pm
INDIA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas
Midfielders: Hardik Singh (vc), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma and Shamsher Singh
Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, S Karthi
On which TV channel will the tournament be live broadcast?
Star Sports Network in India.
Where can you watch the live streaming of the tournament?
Fancode in India.
