Bengaluru to host Hockey India's 5-a-side Senior National Championship - teams, pools and fixtures

Bengaluru, September 17: Bengaluru will host the third edition of the futuristic Hockey India 5-a-side Senior National Championship (Men and Women) from September 18 to September 23 at the KSHA Stadium.

The six-day domestic hockey extravaganza will see state teams vie for top honours in three categories - Men's, Women's and the most exciting Combined Men & Women event on 22 September. This mixed format garnered great interest in the previous edition with the players giving it a big thumbs up.

Being hosted by Hockey Karnataka for the first time, the 3rd Hockey India 5-a-side Senior National Championship 2018 will see a star-studded line-up with international players Preeti Dubey, Sonal Minj, Lalruatfeli, Satbir Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Junior World Cup winners Parvinder Singh and Harjeet Singh participating in the event.

The Combined event is pegged as the most exciting category of the tournament and will put both men and women on an equal pedestal to showcase their talent in the most exciting format. A team participating in this category will feature a minimum of either 4 men or women in their team of nine-member squad.

"Hockey is a non-contact sport and on a social level many countries play combined competitions with men and women in the same team. This will be the second time it is being formalized and structured and Hockey India is proud to set this in motion. I wish all the participating teams the best," said Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, secretary general, Hockey India.

In the combined event category, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Odisha and Hockey Jharkhand form Pool A while Hockey Haryana, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Hockey Karnataka are in Pool B.

In the Men's category, defending Champions Hockey Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Punjab and Hockey Jharkhand are placed in Pool A. Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Haryana and Hockey Odisha will lock horns in Pool B.

In the Women's category, Hockey Haryana, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Odisha and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu will make up Pool A while Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh Hockey and Hockey Jharkhand are in Pool B.

Rules:

This exciting short format is played on a 48 meters x 31.76 meter size court. In this format, each team consists of 9 members, out of which only 5 members can be present on the court at any given time of the match which includes one goalkeeper. The duration of the match is 10 minutes x 2 periods with an interval of 2 minutes between the periods.

The key differences from 11-a-side field hockey are in terms of the way the goals are scored and penalties are imposed. A goal is awarded when it is scored from anywhere on the court, which is unlike traditional hockey where you cannot score directly from outside the circle. In addition, the ball is moved using a push, scoop or flick and a hit.

Free hits and fouls follow the same rules as modern hockey as well.

"This year's edition of the Hockey India 5-a-side Senior National Championship will see its rules being tweaked slightly to only make the game all the more exciting for a spectator," added Mushtaque Ahmed. "After two successful editions hosted by Hockey Maharashtra in Pune, this year the event will be played in front of a passionate Bengaluru audience who I believe will thoroughly enjoy the format. Five-a-side hockey has the potential to attract a global following and help in promoting the sport where players can play on any surface and also on different sized pitches."

Teams:
Men:
Pool A - Hockey Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Jharkhand
Pool B - Hockey Haryana, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Odisha, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu

Women:
Pool A - Hockey Haryana, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Odisha, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
Pool B - Hockey Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Jharkhand

Mixed teams:
Pool A - Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Odisha, Hockey Jharkhand
Pool B - Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Haryana, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu

Full fixtures: (All timings in IST)
Day 1, September 18 (Women):
8.20 am: Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
9 am: Hockey Punjab vs Hockey Odisha
9.40 am: Hockey Maharashtra vs Hockey Jharkhand
10.20 am: Uttar Pradesh Hockey vs Hockey Karnataka

(Men):
3 pm: Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
3.40 pm: Hockey Maharashtra vs Hockey Odisha
4.20 pm: Uttar Pradesh Hockey vs Hockey Punjab
5 pm: Hockey Karnataka vs Hockey Jharkhand

Day 2, September 19 (Women):
8.20 am: Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Punjab
9 am: Hockey Odisha vs Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
9.40 am: Hockey Maharashtra vs Uttar Pradesh Hockey
10.20 am: Hockey Karnataka vs Hockey Jharkhand

(Men):
3 pm: Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Maharashtra
3.40 pm: Hockey Odisha vs Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
4.20 pm: Hockey Punjab vs Hockey Jharkhand
5 pm: Hockey Karnataka vs Uttar Pradesh Hockey

Day 3, September 20 (Women):
8.20 am: Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Odisha
9 am: Hockey Punjab vs Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
9.40 am: Hockey Maharashtra vs Hockey Karnataka
10.20 am: Uttar Pradesh Hockey vs Hockey Jharkhand

(Men):
3 pm: Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Odisha
3.40 pm: Hockey Maharashtra vs Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
4.20 pm: Uttar Pradesh Hockey vs Hockey Jharkhand
5 pm: Hockey Karnataka vs Hockey Punjab

Day 4, September 21 (Men and Women):
Quarterfinals

Day 5, September 22 (Combined event):
8 am: Hockey Maharashtra vs Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
8.40 am: Hockey Odisha vs Hockey Haryana
9.20 am: Hockey Punjab vs Uttar Pradesh Hockey
10 am: Hockey Jharkhand vs Hockey Karnataka
Semifinals and final 3 pm onwards

Day 6, September 23 (Women):
Semifinals 1 and 2 at 9.20 am, 10 am
3rd place playoff at 6.20 pm
Final at 7.40 pm

(Men):
Semifinals 1 and 2 at 10.40 am, 11.20 am
3rd place playoff at 7 pm
Final at 8.20 pm

Source: Hockey India