India vs New Zealand, FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023: Where to watch

The Indian men’s hockey team will take on New Zealand in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 crossover match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. The match is scheduled to start at 7.00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST). 

India finished second in Pool D after beating Spain and Wales and drawing against eventual pool winners England. New Zealand, meanwhile, came third in Pool C, with a win over Chile and losses against Malaysia and three-time champions the Netherlands.

As per the format at FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023, four pool winners (A-D) advance to the quarter-finals directly while the teams finishing second and third in their pools will play crossover matches for the remaining four quarter-final spots.

The winner from the India vs New Zealand match will earn the right to play defending champions Belgium in the quarter-final at Kalinga Stadium on January 24. Watch the India vs New Zealand hockey match on live streaming. 

Hosts India, sixth in the hockey world rankings, will fancy their chances against 12th-ranked New Zealand. The two sides last met at the FIH Pro League 2022-23 in November at the same venue with India winning both matches with 4-3 and 7-4 margins. 

India vs New Zealand head-to-head

Historically, India have dominated New Zealand, winning 24 of the 44 head-to-head meetings between the two times. The Black Sticks have won 15 times while five matches ended as draws.

For Sunday’s match, India will be without in-form midfielder Hardik Singh, who was ruled out for the rest of the hockey World Cup due to a hamstring injury. Raj Kumar Pal, who scored in the last match between the two sides, has been called in as Hardik Singh’s replacement.

Akashdeep Singh, who scored twice against Wales, will be India’s top goal-scoring threat against the Kiwis. Sam Lane and Sam Hiha, meanwhile, have scored two goals each for the Black Sticks in this tournament so far.