Oct 11, 2023
“New Lineup Unveiled for Women’s Asian Champions Trophy”
Experienced midfielder Sushila Chanu has been rested from India’s 20-member squad for the upcoming women’s Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) hockey tournament due to a suspected Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.
Sushila, who led India at the Rio Olympics, was part of the Indian women’s team that won a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last week.
Baljeet Kaur has replaced Sushila in the squad. The Asian Champions Trophy will be held in Ranchi from October 27 to November 5.
Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, who was also in the Asian Games squad, has been named as a replacement player along with Sharmila Devi and will travel with the squad as a back-up option.
Apart from this change, the rest of the squad remains consistent. Savita will continue to lead in goal, with Deep Grace Ekka as vice-captain. Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, and Deep Grace will manage the defense, while the midfield line-up includes Nisha, Salima Tete, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Sonika, Monika, Jyoti, and Baljeet Kaur.
Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, and Vandana Katariya will take charge in the striking department.
The participating nations alongside India are Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.
India’s first match in the ACT will be against Thailand on October 27, followed by matches against Malaysia (October 28), China (October 30), Japan (October 31), and Korea (November 2). The semi-finals and final are scheduled for November 4 and 5.
India’s chief coach Janneke Schopman expressed the significance of the tournament, stating, “It is an important tournament for us to continue our momentum and our steady improvement as a team.
While we performed well at the Asian Games to claim the bronze medal, the upcoming tournament will give us a chance to further improve our standings against our Asian challengers.”
With the spotlight on Ranchi, the Asian Champions Trophy promises high-octane hockey action as teams vie for the coveted title.
