Harmanpreet singh to captain Indian team at the FIH men’s world cup 2023

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Hockey India has announced Dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh as the captain of the Indian men’s Hockey team for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023. Amit Rohidas has been named as the vice-captain of the squad. The team coach is Graham Reid.

The FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup is held every four years and the 2022 event was postponed to 2023 due to the corona pandemic .The last 14th FIH Men’s World Cup Hockey was also played in Odisha in 2018. 

The 15th FIH men’s world cup will be held at the Kalinga Stadium Bhubaneswar and at the newly built Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela from 13-20 January 2023. The newly built Birsa Munda stadium is the largest hockey stadium in India with a seating capacity of 20,000 people 

The final match will be played at the Kalinga Stadium on 29 January 2023.  

This is the fourth time India is hosting the FIH men’s world cup. It has hosted it in 1982, Bombay, 2010 New Delhi, 2018 Bhubaneswar and 2023 in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. 

15th FIH Men’s’ World Cup

A total of 16 teams are participating in the World cup and they have been divided into 4 pools.

Pool A: Australia, South Africa, France, Argentina

Pool B: Belgium, Japan, Korea, Germany

Pool C: Netherlands, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand

Pool D: India, Wales, Spain, England

Belgium are the defending team having won the 1028 edition.

India has won the world cup only once in 1975 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They defeated Pakistan in the final and the Indian team was led by Ajit Pal Singh.

Pakistan is the most successful team having won it 4 times. However the Pakistani team has failed to qualify for the 2023 edition.

FIH 

FIH (Fédération Internationale de Hockey) is the governing body of men’s and women’s International hockey.

Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland 

 President:Mohammad Tayyab Ikram

Members: 137 countries