Hockey India announces 18- member squad for Commonwealth Games 2022

Hockey India on Monday named a full-strength men's team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Manpreet Singh is back to lead the team, and drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh has been named as his deputy.

While PR Sreejesh is part of the full-strength 18-member squad, goalkeeper Suraj Karkera and forwards Shilanand Lakra and Sukhjeet Singh, who were part of the FIH Pro League, are missing from the squad.

Notably, Hockey India had initially decided to send a second-string team to the Commonwealth Games as the focus was on the Asian Games, which is a qualifier for the Paris Olympics in 2024. However, with the Asian Games getting postponed due to Covid-19 concerns in host nation China, the emphasis is on doing well at the Commonwealth Games, starting July 28.

The Indian team has been grouped in Pool B along with England, Canada, Wales and



Ghana. The two-time former silver medallists will begin their campaign on July 31 against Ghana. India had finished fourth at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.

Manpreet led the Indian team to a historic bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year and he will take over the reins from Amit Rohidas, who was the captain for the FIH Pro League tour of Belgium and the Netherlands.

INDIA MEN'S HOCKEY SQUAD FOR CWG 2022

GOALKEEPERS: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak

DEFENDERS: Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (VC), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh.

MIDFIELDERS: Manpreet Singh (C), Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Nilakanta Sharma

FORWARDS: Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek.