Hockey India announces 20-member Indian Men's squad ahead of FIH Pro League

Hockey India has announced a 20-member Indian men's hockey squad, ahead of the FIH Pro League on Thursday. The hockey tournament is slated to take place in Potchefstroom, South Africa from February 8 to 13.

India will depart for South Africa on February 4. They will kickstart their campaign against France in the season opener on February 8.

Manpreet Singh will lead the team while Harmanpreet Singh has been named Vice Captain. The team includes a mixture of experienced as well as young players making their debuts.

With several major hockey tournaments lined up this year, Indian men's hockey team Chief Coach Graham Reid spoke about team selection. Coach Graham Reid said:

"With a very busy and important year ahead, the Indian team is excited to be back on the world stage and playing in the latest edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League. After a three-week camp in Bengaluru, a team has been selected that includes 14 Tokyo Olympians and 2 debutants."

He added:

"We have tried to choose an experienced group that will not only give us a great opportunity to start this season of the FIH Hockey Pro League in a positive manner, it reflects the high quality of opposition we will encounter in the opening games. We are also using this opportunity to debut 2 new players. Jugraj Singh, a versatile defender/midfielder who adds to our drag flick options and Abhishek is a strong, fast striker who loves scoring goals.".

Indian Hockey Squad for FIH Pro League:

The 20-member squad includes

Goalkeepers: Sreejesh PR, Krishan Bahadur Pathak

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (Vice Captain), Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh

Midfielders: Manpreet Singh (Captain), Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad

Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh, Abhishek

Standbys: Suraj Karkera, Mandeep Mor, Raj Kumar Pal, Sumit, Gursahibjit Singh

FIH Pro League India schedule:

(All timings are in IST)

India vs France:

Date: February 8, Timings: 21:30pm

India vs South Africa:

Date: February 9, Timings: 21:30pm

India vs France:

Date: February 12, Timings: 21:30pm

India vs South Africa:

Date: February 13, Timings: 21:30pm

FIH Pro League live streaming details:

Matches will be live on Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports Select 2 HD. Matches can also be live streamed on Hotstar.