Sweety Kujur to Lead India at Women’s U-18 Hockey Asia Cup in Japan

New Delhi: Hockey India has announced the 18-member Indian women’s squad for the upcoming U-18 Asia Cup, scheduled to be held from May 29 to June 6 in Kakamigahara, Japan. The young Indian side will be led by Sweety Kujur as captain.

The team enters the continental tournament after an intensive training camp in Bhopal under the guidance of former Indian captain Rani Rampal. During the camp, the focus remained on improving fitness, tactical discipline, team coordination and match readiness.

As part of their preparations, the Indian team also played a four-match series against Australia in Bhopal and finished the campaign on a positive note with an impressive victory.

India have been placed in Pool A alongside Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. The team will begin its campaign against Malaysia on May 30, followed by a crucial match against Korea on May 31. Their final pool-stage game will be against Singapore on June 2.

The top two teams from both pools will qualify for the semifinals on June 5, while the final will take place on June 6.

Speaking about the squad, coach Rani Rampal said the tournament would provide valuable international exposure to the young players and help them understand the pressure of top-level competition. She added that the team is motivated to represent India and aims to play fearless hockey while strongly competing for the title.

India Women’s U-18 Squad

Goalkeepers: Mahak Parihar, Khili Kumari

Defenders: Sugan Sanga, Nilam Topno, Rubina Baxla, Kiran Ekka, Sulochani

Midfielders: Shruti Kumari, Diya, Sneha Davde, Rashmeen Kaur, Nammi Geetashree, Pushpa Manjhi

Forwards: Nousheen Naz, Sweety Kujur (Captain), Priyanka Minz, Sandeepa Kumari, Nancy Saroha

With inputs from IANS