India women name Salima Tete captain for Asian Champions Trophy in Bhopal from November 19

Hockey India on Tuesday announced the Indian women's hockey team for the Madhya Pradesh Women's Asian Champions Trophy Bhopal-2026. Midfielder Salima Tete will captain the side.

The team won a historic gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan last month. This is the first international tournament the Indian team will play since then. The matches will be played on home turf, and the team will aim to win the Asian Champions Trophy for a third consecutive time, and a fourth time in all. India will enter as defending champions and will try to retain the title.

The tournament will be held from November 19 to 28 at the new International Sports Complex at Nathu Barkheda in Bhopal. Six Asian teams will take part: India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea. India and South Korea have each won the title three times so far. The Indian team won the trophy in 2016, 2023 and 2024.

The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with all six teams playing each other once. After the league stage, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals. On the opening day, November 19, China will meet Thailand in the first match. After the opening ceremony, India will play Malaysia in their first match.

India will then face South Korea on November 21, Thailand on November 22, China on November 24 and Japan on November 25. The semi-finals will be played on November 27, while the medal matches, including the final, will be played on November 28.

India head coach Sjoerd Marijne said some players would be given roles away from their usual positions in this tournament so that their ability at the international level could be tested. According to the coach, it is time to give other players a chance to show their talent as well. The team is excited about playing before home spectators and ending the year with a good performance.

Hockey India president Dr Dilip Tirkey said that after the historic Asian Games win, this tournament is an important opportunity for the team to maintain that momentum. General Secretary Bholanath Singh said it is a matter of pride for Madhya Pradesh to host Asia's top hockey teams.