18 teams will vie for top honours along with Defending Champions Petroleum Sports Promotion Board

Pune : A clutch of recent-past Indian hockey stars representing 18 departments will fight for top honours in the 4th Hockey India Senior Men Inter-Department National Championship ‘24 at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium, Nehrunagar-Pimpri from Thursday, 5th September 2024.

The 10-day tournament will unfold its grand champion on Sunday, 15th September. Incidentally the tournament is being hosted by Hockey Maharashtra for the first time and Pune is the third city after Bengaluru and New Delhi to host the tournament

For hockey buffs in Pune the championship will be action-packed week apart from being the second-National level tournament Hockey Maharashtra is hosting this year (2024). The last was the 14th Senior Women’s Championship ’24 held in March 2024.

For fans the intense rivalries among departmental teams will be a treat to watch apart from the players who in their hey-days were a class apart while donning the Indian colours.

For the record, two-time champion and defending Champion Petroleum Sports Promotion Board will look to keep their record intact, with Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) set to give them a run for their money after having won the title in 2022. The array of other teams is no short of competitive edge in the competition.

While the ex-internationals will be the main attraction, the few stalwarts in action include Tokyo Olympics Surender Kumar, Asian Games gold medalist Akashdeep and Olympian Dharamveer, Olympian Dilpreet Singh.  

Rubbing shoulders with the best will be players from Maharashtra. Among the many in action which includes stars in international Yuvraj Walmiki, Olympian Devinder Walmiki, Junior World Cupper Aditya Lalge, India Campers Teyron Perreira, Aquib Rahim, Pratap Shinde, Niyaz Rahim, Darshan Gawkar, Amit Gowda, Vikram Yadav apart from Ajinkya Jadhav, Aniket Gurav will be seen.

The 18 teams are divided into four Pools, with the top two advancing into the last-8.

In Pool A, 2021 & 2023 winners and 2022 runners up Petroleum Sports Promotion Board are grouped with I.T.B.P Central Hockey Team, Sports Authority of India, Central Civil Services Culture and Sports and Central Board of Direct Taxes.

2022 winners Railways Sports Promotion Board are grouped in Pool B with All India Police Sports Control Board, Sports Authority of Gujarat – Hockey Academy and Steel Plants Sport Board. Group-C includes three time (2021, 2022, 2023) third placed Services Sports Control Board, Food Corporation of India, Sashastra Seema Bal, Tamil Nadu Police.

In Pool D, Punjab National Bank, Punjab and Sind Bank, ITBP Central Hockey Team and Sashastra Seema Bal will take on each other to make it to the next round.

Hockey Maharashtra Senior Vice President Manoj Bhore explained, "The tournament is a big boost to the constant activity that we at Hockey Maharashtra strive to bring to the city and uplift promote hockey. The tournament involves the best departmental teams.”

The inaugural match will feature Steel Plants Sports Board v All India Police Sports Promotion Board 1.15 pm.

The tournament will be inaugurated by Dr. Rajesh Deshmukh (IAS), Commissioner Directorate of Sports and Youth Servies, Maharashtra State and Shekhar Singh, IAS, Commissioner Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Ex-international, former India Captain, two-time Olympian, Word Cupper, 1998 Arjuna Awardee and ex Indian coach Mohammad Riaz will be the Guest of Honour in the presence of Krishna Prakash, IPS, ADG, Force One Maharashtra Police and President Hockey Maharashtra: Manish Anand, Honorary Secretary Hockey Maharashtra and Manoj Bhore, Senior Vice President Hockey Maharashtra, stated a press release.