Industry Odisha Bureau, July 7: Hockey India on Tuesday announced the 15-member Sub Junior Women’s group for the Women’s Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026. The selected players are currently undergoing a National Coaching Camp at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal in preparation for the tournament in Muscat, Oman.
The preparatory camp, under the supervision of former India captain and Sub Junior Women’s Coach Rani, commenced on July 4 and concluded on July 18.
The selected players are—Rashmeen Kaur, Rubina Baxla, Nancy Saroha, Pushpa Manjhi, Khili Kumari, Kiran Ekka, Sweety Kujur, Sneha Davde, Nousheen Naz, Shruti Kumari, Nilam Topno, Priyanka Minz, Diya, Sandeepa Kumari, and Mahak Parihar.
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has emerged as a key high-performance centre for hockey, having previously hosted Sub Junior National Coaching Camps and preparatory camps for the U-18 Asia Cup.
The state-of-the-art facilities at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy provide an ideal environment for nurturing and developing the country’s emerging hockey talent.
Speaking about the camp, Coach Rani said, “The Women’s Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship presents a fantastic opportunity for our young players to gain valuable international exposure at an early stage of their careers.”
Since this is the first time sub-junior teams will be participating in an event of this nature, our focus will be on helping the players understand the unique demands of Hockey5s while also strengthening their fundamental skills and tactical awareness, she said.
“We would like to thank the Madhya Pradesh Government for supporting and hosting such camps, which play a crucial role in building a strong pipeline of talent for the future of Indian hockey and strengthening our grassroots ecosystem,” she added.
The preparatory camp is part of Hockey India’s broader vision to build a strong and sustainable talent pipeline across age groups.
Earlier this year, Hockey India conducted an extensive month-long national coaching camp for the Sub Junior teams ahead of the U-18 Asia Cup 2026 in Japan, where the Indian Women’s team secured a Bronze medal.
By providing structured training camps and regular international exposure opportunities at the sub-junior level, Hockey India aims to create a robust talent pool that can seamlessly progress to the junior (U-21) setup and eventually strengthen the senior national teams. Such initiatives are central to Hockey India’s long-term objective of enhancing bench strength and ensuring sustained success for Indian hockey on the global stage.
The selected 15-member group comprises players who have consistently impressed through the domestic circuit and previous national camps. The ongoing camp focuses on skill enhancement, tactical awareness, fitness conditioning, and adapting to the fast-paced format of Hockey5s ahead of the continental competition.
