Hockey: India to face Thailand in campaign opener at Women’s Asian Champions Trophy

Asian Hockey Federation and Hockey India on Tuesday announced the schedule for the upcoming edition of the Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy

Ranchi: The Asian Hockey Federation and Hockey India on Tuesday announced the schedule for the upcoming edition of the Jharkhand Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023.

The tournament will begin with Malaysia and Japan playing the first game, while hosts India will play the third game of the opening day (October 27) when they take on Thailand at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium, Ranchi, Jharkhand.

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The Jharkhand Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023 will see Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, China, and India go into battle to lift the coveted trophy. The six-team tournament will begin on October 27 and will conclude on November 5.

All the teams are part of One Pool and the top four teams will qualify for the Semi-Finals, where the team finishing on top of the table will take on the team that finishes fourth and the teams finishing second and third will play each other to decide the Finalists. Defending Champions Japan will face a stiff challenge from Korea, the most decorated team in the history of the tournament, which have won three out of six editions of the tournament, in 2010, 2011, and 2016.

Hosts India have been in good form – particularly after the historic Bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and title victory at FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022. The hosts have also won the Asian Champions Trophy in 2016 and were runners-up in 2018. They will begin their campaign against Thailand on October 27 and face Korea in the last match of the group stage on November 2.

President of the Asian Hockey Federation, Dato Fumio Ogura, remarked, “This is a momentous occasion for the Asian hockey community, and we are eagerly looking forward to witnessing top-notch hockey action at the prestigious Women’s Asian Champions Trophy. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Hockey India for hosting this event and also for their unwavering support and commitment to the development of hockey in Asia. Furthermore, I would like to express our gratitude to the state of Jharkhand for their warm hospitality and enthusiasm in hosting the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy. After Chennai, we are eagerly anticipating another spectacular event with the gracious support of Hockey India.”

On the occasion, Hockey India president Padma Dilip Tirkey said, “We are proud to host another major Asian tournament and I’m sure the Jharkhand Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023 will be a great spectacle with some of the top women’s hockey teams in the world participating in the tournament. The announcement of the schedule signals the start of the final stages before the tournament and we cannot wait for this extravaganza to begin.”

Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh said, “Hosting the Jharkhand Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023 in Ranchi brings me immense joy. We will be competing against some strong teams and I believe this spectacle will inspire and encourage more youngsters from Jharkhand to take up the sport. The Indian Women’s Hockey Team is very capable of putting on a show for the residents of Ranchi and we can’t wait to witness some scintillating hockey.”