Jr men s hockey world cup pr sreejesh s young india chase third title

Jr men s hockey world cup pr sreejesh s young india chase third title

‘The kids are capable of winning the title. It's all about how to handle the pressure and perform to their best, that's all, because, the young generation is more passionate. They, do have all the facilities to sharpen their knowledge and to enhance their performance. So, the kids are good. What I think doesn't matter because I'm not the one who's playing on the field. The players need to play.’

‘So I'm making sure that we are facilitating them with all the amenities so that they can perform better on the field that particular time. The crowd is going to be huge in Tamil Nadu and they're going to cheer for us. So I'm preparing them for that. And, and I believe that, it's a long gap. 9 years is a long gap. So now it's time for us to finish on the podium. And, that's what I'm trying to do from my side, and that is what I'm forcing my players also to dream about.’

These were the words of the PR Sreejesh when asked about his dream of seeing India become Jr. men's World Champions once again. The last time they achieved it was in 2016 in Lucknow and the team consisted of some of the best in the world at the moment. That team had a young Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Krishan Pathak and many others who have become vital cogs of the senior team. Sreejesh was part of the coaching setup that time and will now be tasked with masterminding the title win as the head coach.

India have been two-time champions and were runners-up in 1997, but finished fourth in the last two editions. This time around, there is renewed hope for the fans after the team performed well in the run-up to the tournament that takes place in Chennai and Madurai.

They finished with a silver medal at the Sultan of Johor Cup, where Australia, Great Britain, Pakistan, Malaysia and New Zealand. They ended the campaign with three wins, two losses and a draw, with the defeats coming against Australia.

India will compete in Pool B, facing Chile, Switzerland, and Oman—who step in for Pakistan this year.

Jr.men's Hockey Team: Full squad

Goalkeepers

• Bikramjit Singh

• Princedeep Singh



Defenders

• Rohit

• Talem Priyobarta

• Anmol Ekka

• Amir Ali

• Sunil Palakshappa Bennur

• Shardanand Tiwari

Midfielders

• Ankit Pal

• Thounaojam Ingalemba Luwang

• Adrohit Ekka

• Rosan Kujur

• Manmeet Singh

• Gurjot Singh

Forwards

• Arshdeep Singh

• Sourabh Anand Kushwaha

• Ajeet Yadav

• Dilraj Singh

Alternate (AP) Athletes

• Ravneet Singh

• Rohit Kullu

POWERED BY HIL

When it comes to Indian hockey, the return of the Hockey India League has been a gamechanger mainly for the young stars of the Jr.men's team. With each team in the league having their fair share of youngsters in them, the experience of the 2024 season has come in clutch for a lot of stars, who will be crucial to India's charge for the title.

Rohit

Rohit, a 20-year-old dragflicker from Dabra village near Hisar in Haryana, recently led the Indian Junior Team to a silver medal at the Sultan of Johor Cup before heading into the Junior World Cup. He made his junior team debut at the 2022 edition of the same tournament, where India won gold. Since then, he has been a regular member of the squad, winning back-to-back Junior Asia Cup titles in 2023 and 2024 and finishing fourth at the 2023 Junior World Cup. He represents SG Pipers in the Hockey India League and will be captaining the Indian team during the World Cup.

Bikramjit Singh

Bikramjit, a 20-year-old goalkeeper from Gurdaspur, has quickly become one of the most promising talents in junior hockey. A relatively new addition to the national junior setup, he was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament while featuring for Hyderabad Toofans, who finished second in the Hero Hockey India League 2024–25. He made his junior team debut during the bronze medal win at the Sultan of Johor Cup, followed by a title-winning campaign at the Men's Junior Asia Cup 2024 and another appearance at the recent Sultan of Johor Cup.

Amir Ali

Amir Ali, who made his Hockey India League debut last season, will now represent the newly formed Ranchi Royals. His journey from modest beginnings to becoming one of India’s most inspiring young hockey stars has captured widespread attention.

Amir grew up in Lucknow and is the son of a bike mechanic. He spent his school days balancing hockey practice with helping his father at the workshop. His rise from part-time mechanic to captain of the Indian Junior Team in major international tournaments is a testament to his determination and resilience. He led India to a third-place finish at the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 and a title win at the Men's Junior Asia Cup 2024. Amir has also broken into the senior team, making his debut in the FIH Hockey Pro League in 2024 and winning his first senior medal at the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Moqi China 2024.

Sunil PB

Sunil is a new entrant to elite-level hockey and first came into prominence at the 2025 Sultan of Johor Cup. The Karnataka-born midfielder began his hockey journey at the Shivamogga Sports Hostel in 2015–16 while studying at Sarvodaya School. After Class 10, he moved to Coorg to continue his training and later joined the Sports Authority of India Hostel in Bengaluru. Sunil is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree at Surana College. He represented Karnataka at the Junior Nationals in 2022 and 2023 and captained the team to a strong fourth-place finish in 2024. Earlier this year, he made his India Junior Team debut and secured his first professional contract with the Vedanta Kalinga Lancers through the Hockey India Mini Auction.

Adrohit Ekka

Adrohit, 19, is a trainee of the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre and captain of the Junior Hockey Association of Odisha team. He is one of the newest faces in the national junior squad. Adrohit made his India Junior debut at the 2025 Sultan of Johor Cup, and this tournament marks only his second international appearance. At the HIL Mini Auction, he was picked up by the Tamil Nadu Dragons for five times his base price.

Ajeet Yadav

Ajeet Yadav, a 17-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, is another exciting young addition to the squad. With a base price of INR 2 lakh, he was acquired by the Hockey India League Governing Council for INR 11.5 lakh. He made his India Junior Team debut at the 2025 Sultan of Johor Cup, and this will be only his second international tournament.

Jr. Men's Hockey World Cup: Schedule

28/11 - India vs Chile 8:30 pm IST (Chennai)

29/11 - India vs Oman 8 pm IST (Chennai)

2/12 - India vs Switzerland 8 pm IST (Madurai)

Jr. Men's Hockey World Cup: When and where to watch

Fans in India can watch the matches of the Jr.men's Hockey World Cup on Star Sports Select 1 and can be livestreamed on the JioHotstar website and app.