Khelo India WHL: India Juniors Beat SAI

India juniors beat Sports Authority of India ‘B’ 6-0 in the first match of Group A match of the opening of Khelo India U-21 Women’s Hockey League (Phase I) on Wednesday. 

Deepika stroked four goals, which involves a stunning hat-trick, for India juniors at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. In another Group A match of the 14-team contest, Anjali Panwar achieved five goals for Khalsa Hockey Academy (Amritsar) to support her team to strike Mumbai Schools Sports Association 15-0.

Odisha Naval Tata High-Performance Centre, Bhubaneswar, beat Raja Karan Hockey Academy, Karnal, 1-0 through a Priya Toppo penalty hub in the 26th minute. In a Group B match, a second-half hat-trick by Poonam Mundu was the show’s center of Sports Authority of India A team’s 7-1 victory over Odisha Sports Hostel, Bhubaneswar. 

Khelo India Women’s Hockey league under-21 will act as a preparatory tournament for Junior Women’s team for the forthcoming FIH Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup. The World Cup was actually decided from 5 Dec 2021, but due to the Covid situation, it has been delayed. The new dates are yet to be notified by the FIH.

The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur unveil the first-ever national-level Khelo India Women’s Hockey League (Under 21) at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday 15 December.

The hockey game is held from December 15 to 21. As numerous as 14 teams will be contesting in 42 games during the first stage of the tournament. Meanwhile, the second and third stages will be held in early 2022.