The Indian Men’s Hockey Team is gearing up to begin their campaign at the Hero Men’s Asia Cup 2025, on home soil in Rajgir, Bihar from 29th August to 7th September. After last winning the tournament in 2017, India will look to reclaim the continental crown and also secure direct qualification for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.
The team will once again be led by veteran drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh, who will serve as the captain. The squad is a strong blend of experienced players with great balance across all positions. The goalkeeping responsibilities will be handled by the reliable duo of Krishan B Pathak and Suraj Karkera. The defense will be anchored by Captain Harmanpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas, supported by Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay, and Jugraj Singh.
In the midfield, the team features a dynamic core of Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, and Hardik Singh. The forward line is packed with firepower, led by Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, and Dilpreet Singh, all of whom are ready to challenge opposing defenses. Additionally, Nilam Sanjeep Xess and Selvam Karthi have been named as alternate athletes for the tournament.
The Men’s Asia Cup has been one of the most prestigious events in Asian hockey with defending champions South Korea being the most successful team with five titles, while India runs second with three. In the last edition India finished third as it drew its Semi-Final game against South Korea who went ahead on a better goal difference.
India are drawn in Pool A alongside China, Japan and Kazakhstan. The team will open their campaign against China on 29th August, followed by a clash against Japan on 31st August before concluding the group stage against Kazakhstan on 1st September. Pool B consists of South Korea, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Indonesia. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the Super 4s and the winner will earn automatic World Cup qualification.
India is coming into the tournament after a disappointing FIH Hockey Pro League European Leg, however, being the highest ranked Asian country (7th) in the world and playing in front of home crowd, India are a serious contender for the title.
Speaking about the team’s preparations, Coach Craig Fulton said, “Our preparation has been thorough. The camp in Perth gave us the right intensity, with tough training sessions and competitive matches that sharpened both our physical and tactical readiness. The group is training and playing with real purpose and we feel ready for the challenge ahead.”
When asked about the team’s expectations, he responded, ” Our expectation is very clear, to win the Asia Cup and secure qualification for the World Cup. That is our main goal. We know it will be a tough competition with quality opposition, but we believe in the work we’ve done and in the strength of this squad. If we play to our standards, stay consistent, and execute well, we can achieve what we set out to do.”
Captain Harmanpreet Singh spoke on similar lines and stated, ” The preparations have been good. We achieved a lot in the camp and have done a lot of work as a team. Even our recent tour in Australia has been very useful for us because Asian teams too play man-to-man in a similar way to the Aussies.”
“Any opponent we play, we view them as a strong team and I believe all the teams participating are good. Our mindset is to make sure that we play smartly, maintain our structure and do our best. This is the energy in the dressing room and this is our plan,” he concluded.
Matches will be live on Sony Sports Network. Hockey fans in USA, UK, Netherlands, Europe and North America can watch the Hero Asia Cup Rajgir Bihar 2025 live on Watch.Hockey.
