Hockey India on Friday announced a 39-member core probable group for the Senior Women’s National Coaching Camp, to be held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru from 24th October to 7th December 2025.
The national camp comes on the back of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team’s silver medal finish at the Women’s Asia Cup 2025 in Hangzhou, China, a campaign that reaffirmed India’s position among the continent’s elite sides. The upcoming six-week camp will serve as a key phase in refining team combinations, tactical depth, and fitness levels ahead of an important international calendar in 2026.
Announcing the squad, Hockey India emphasized the camp’s dual purpose maintaining continuity from the Asia Cup and integrating emerging domestic performers. The mix reflects a deliberate balance between seasoned internationals and promising young players who impressed at recent national championships. The goalkeeping department sees Bichu Devi Kharibam, Bansari Solanki, and Madhuri Kindo retain their places, joined by exciting newcomer Samiksha Saxena from Assam Hockey.
The 20-year-old Saxena caught the selectors’ attention with standout performances at the Senior Nationals earlier this year and will look to gain valuable exposure training alongside established names.
Defensive Backbone Blends Experience and Youth
The defensive unit will be anchored by experienced internationals Nikki Pradhan, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Udita, and Mahima Chaudhary all of whom have been pivotal in India’s backline structure over the past two seasons.
Joining them are emerging defenders Ishika Chaudhary, Jyoti Chhatri, Anjna Dungdung, Akshata Abaso Dhekale, and Suman Devi Thoudam, all of whom have impressed in domestic competition and development squads. The depth across this unit offers flexibility in formations and provides an opportunity to groom the next generation of defensive leaders under senior mentorship.
Midfield: Engine Room of Skill and Structure
The midfield roster features a dynamic mix of skill, pace, and creativity. Veterans Neha, Salima Tete, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Manisha Chauhan, and Sharmila Devi will lead the engine room, supported by a talented pool of emerging names such as Sujata Kujur, Mahima Tete, Albela Rani Toppo, and Pooja Yadav.
The inclusion of Lalremsiami who continues to thrive in her hybrid midfield-forward role adds further versatility to the unit. Chief Coach Harendra Singh is expected to use the camp to sharpen ball control, decision-making in transition, and midfield press coordination, key areas identified during the Asia Cup campaign.
India’s forward line remains one of its biggest strengths, brimming with pace and finishing flair. The group includes stalwarts Navneet Kaur, Sangita Kumari, and Mumtaz Khan, alongside emerging strike options Beauty Dungdung, Annu, Deepika Soreng, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, Hritika Singh, and Dipimonika Toppo. Notably, star drag-flicker Deepika makes her return to the senior setup after missing the Women’s Asia Cup due to injury. Her presence will be a major boost for India’s penalty corner routines, an area that played a decisive role during the team’s silver-medal run in Hangzhou.
Chandana Jagadish and Kajal Sadashiv Atpadkar complete the forward unit, offering width and creativity to a frontline that will aim to build on its improved conversion rates from recent tournaments. Chief Coach Harendra Singh expressed satisfaction with the team’s trajectory and underlined the importance of maintaining momentum through this camp.
“The team showed great resilience and character at the Women’s Asia Cup,” Harendra said. “This camp will give us an opportunity to build further on that momentum. Our focus will be on fine-tuning our structure, improving conversion in key moments, and enhancing physical conditioning.”
He further emphasized the need for tactical balance, adding: “We also want to place greater emphasis on our defensive organization to give the players more freedom in attack. Our principles of play are based on structure, tempo, and discipline and this camp will help us reinforce that identity.”
The coach also praised the group’s balance between experience and potential:
“We have a good mix of seasoned internationals and promising young players. The competition within the group will be healthy, and it will be exciting to see how they push each other to raise the overall standard.”
The national camp will serve as an evaluation phase to identify the final core group that will represent India in upcoming international assignments, including potential Test series, the FIH Pro League window, and early preparations for the 2026 Asian Champions Trophy and Commonwealth Games.
The extended camp duration allows the coaching staff to monitor player development closely, conduct skill-specific sessions, and integrate sports science modules aimed at long-term athlete conditioning. With India having made consecutive podium finishes in Asia and maintaining a top-10 global ranking, the focus now shifts to sustaining competitiveness against European and Oceanian teams an aspect that will be central to the camp’s objectives.
39-Member Indian Women’s Hockey Core Group
Goalkeepers: Bichu Devi Kharibam, Bansari Solanki, Madhuri Kindo, Samiksha Saxena
Defenders: Mahima Chaudhary, Nikki Pradhan, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Jyoti Chhatri, Jyoti, Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Anjna Dungdung, Suman Devi Thoudam
Midfielders: Sujata Kujur, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Neha, Salima Tete, Manisha Chauhan, Ajmina Kujur, Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi, Baljeet Kaur, Mahima Tete, Albela Rani Toppo, Pooja Yadav
Forwards: Dipimonika Toppo, Hritika Singh, Deepika Soreng, Navneet Kaur, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, Beauty Dungdung, Mumtaz Khan, Annu, Chandana Jagadish, Kajal Sadashiv Atpadkar
The Indian women’s hockey setup continues to evolve under Harendra Singh, blending experience with fearless youth. With momentum from the Asia Cup silver and the depth of this 39-member squad, the Bengaluru camp marks the next step in India’s journey toward global consistency one built on structure, spirit, and sustained growth.
