Jaipur: Lakhan More in the men’s and Keerthiga in the women’s will lead the Indian soft hockey teams in the 1st South Asian Championship slated to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal from May 20 to 22, 2026.Ramesh Singh, general secretary of Amateur Soft Hockey Federation of India, informed that the Indian soft hockey team is now fully prepared to hoist the tricolour in South Asia. The grand closing ceremony of the Indian training camp organised for the 1st South Asian Soft Hockey Championship 2026 was held on Monday with patriotism, zeal and enthusiasm here at Dronacharya Sports Academy, Govindam Tower, Kardhani, Jhotwara.The athletes’ enthusiasm, discipline, and determination to give back for their country filled the atmosphere with a solemn ceremony. Amid chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram,” the Indian contingent bid farewell with best wishes for the upcoming international competition.The chief guest of the event was Dr Ashutosh Pant, president of the Amateur Soft Hockey Federation of India. Indian Soft Hockey League Vice Chairman Dr Aditya Nag and general secretary Ramesh Singh were present as special guests.Team coaches Kapil Sharma, Harshit Yadav, Mukesh, and Aqeel Ahmed encouraged the players and said that the Indian team will create new history in South Asia this time.On this occasion, Lakhan More (Maharashtra) was named captain and Mohit Meena vice-captain of the Indian men’s soft hockey team. Keerthiga (Puducherry) was named captain and Anamika Sharma vice-captain of the women’s team.The Indian men’s team includes Lakhan More, Mohit Meena, Anil Patil, Sahil Sapkal, Sahil Rege, Anish Parshurami, Rishikesh Sarolkar, Krishna Swami, Junaid Khan, Vijayraj G, Mahendran P and Jeevanandam M.In the women’s team, Kirthiga, Amrita Godara, Bindu Gora, Uzma Khan, Himali Singh, Ayushi Sengar, Bhagwati Godara and Anamika Sharma will represent India under the women’s category coach Devanshi Baghel.Addressing the ceremony, Dr Ashutosh Pant stated that soft hockey is rapidly gaining popularity among India’s youth, and that Indian players are poised to bring glory to the country internationally through their dedication and hard work. He urged the players to enter the field with confidence, discipline, and patriotism.During the closing ceremony, the players were honored and the entire team was greeted with the tricolor and best wishes for their victory march. The atmosphere of the ceremony was completely filled with patriotism and sportsmanship.
