Hockey is more than just a sport for Indians; it is a religion. As the national sport, India’s craze for hockey is beyond words. The nation’s love affair with the sport dates back to pre-independence times—a golden era that saw India dominating at the biggest sporting spectacle, the Olympics.
Being the most successful men’s team at the Olympics with eight gold medals and six consecutive gold medals from 1928 to 1956, the legacy of Indian hockey is adorned with legendary names like Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh Sr., and Dhanraj Pillai.
While the landscape of Indian hockey has evolved, the passion remains untainted. The sport continues to breed superstars and is looking forward to yet another medal at the Olympics.
The Indian men’s hockey team is going to Paris as the previous bronze medal winners and will be aiming for the ultimate prize, which they have been missing since 1980. This exploration from The Bridge delves into the home states of Indian hockey’s finest players who will be representing the country at the upcoming Olympics, uncovering the fertile grounds that have nurtured exceptional talents.
State-wise breakdown of Indian men’s Hockey team at Paris Olympics (Player Photo Credits: FIH)
Punjab
Punjab, with its deep-rooted Sikh heritage, has been the cradle of Indian hockey. Home to many hockey legends across generations, Punjab is carrying the legacy this time with a total of ten players heading to Paris with eight in main team and two in reserves.
-Harmanpreet Singh (Amritsar)
-Jarmanpreet Singh (Amritsar)
-Shamsher Singh (Amritsar)
-Manpreet Singh (Jalandhar)
-Hardik Singh (Jalandhar)
-Sukhjeet Singh (Jalandhar)
-Mandeep Singh (Jalandhar)
-Gujrant Singh (Amritsar)
Reserve players:
-Krishan Bahadur Pathak (Kapurthala)
– Jugraj Singh
Haryana
After Punjab, Haryana has the most number of representatives in the Indian squad with three members.
-Sumit Walmiki (Sonipat)
-Sanjay (Hisar)
-Abhishek (Sonipat)
Uttar Pradesh
-Rajkumar Pal (Ghazipur)
-Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (Varanasi)
Madhya Pradesh
-Vivek Sagar Prasad (Itarsi)
Odisha
-Amit Rogidas (Sundergarh)
Kerala
-P R Sreejesh (Ernakulam)
Manipur
Nilakanta Sharma (Imphal)- Reserve