India U-18 Men’s & Women’s Hockey Teams Depart For Asia Cup In Japan

· Free Press Journal

Delhi: The Indian U-18 Men’s and Women’s Hockey Teams have departed for Kakamigahara, Japan, to take part in the U-18 Asia Cup 2026, scheduled to take place from 29th May to 6th June.

The men’s team departed on Monday evening, while the women’s team left on Tuesday morning from Delhi. Both teams enter the tournament after intensive national coaching camps, which included exposure matches against Australia, aiming to present a strong challenge against Asia’s best emerging hockey talent.

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Month-long national camps for both the U-18 men’s and women’s teams were conducted at the Udhav Das Mehta (Bhai Ji) Central Centre at SAI, Bhopal. While the men’s team’s coaching staff comprises Sardar Singh and Rajnish Mishra, the women’s team has Rani as its coach.

As part of their preparations, the Indian men’s and women’s teams played a high-profile four-match series each against the visiting Australian U-18 teams in Bhopal as part of an exposure tour.

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The Indian men’s team registered one win and one loss, while two matches ended in draws. The Indian women’s team ended the series with a confidence-boosting win. The experience gave the teams valuable competitive exposure ahead of the continental challenge.

Forward Ketan Kushwaha will captain the Indian men’s U-18 team at the Asia Cup, where they will be placed in Pool A. India will begin the pool-stage engagement with the match against Kazakhstan on 29th May, followed by matches against Japan (31st May), Korea (1st June) and Chinese Taipei (3rd June). Pool B comprises Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.

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The top two teams from Pool A and B will progress to the Semi-Finals slated for 5th June, while the Final will be played on 6th June.

Speaking ahead of the team’s departure, India U-18 men’s team captain Ketan Kushwaha said: "Representing India at a major tournament like the Asia Cup is a huge honour and responsibility for all of us. We have worked hard during the camp in Bhopal and the matches against Australia gave us valuable learning experiences. The team has developed strong understanding on and off the field, and we are excited to test ourselves against some of the best young teams in Asia. We are confident and will give our best in every match."

The Indian U-18 Women’s team’s training camp in Bhopal focused on building combinations, improving match fitness and sharpening tactical execution. The U-18 Asia Cup presents an important opportunity for the young Indian side, captained by Sweety Kujur, to test themselves against strong opposition from across the continent.

The women's team has been drawn in Pool A and will open its campaign against Malaysia on 30th May, before facing Korea (31st May). They will conclude their pool-stage fixtures with the match against Singapore on 2nd June. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the Semi-Finals to be played on 5th June, followed by the Final on 6th June.

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India U-18 Women’s Captain Sweety Kujur was confident about the team’s performance. "The entire team is excited and motivated ahead of the Asia Cup. We have spent several weeks preparing together and everyone has worked really hard during the camp.

The matches against Australia helped us understand our strengths and areas where we need to improve, and finishing that series with a win gave us confidence. We know the competition at Asia Cup will be tough, but we are looking forward to giving our best and making India proud," she said.

All matches will be streamed live on the Asian Hockey Federation’s official YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDNCxsTOURPYrnpd0VxX_Bg

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