Hockey India today announced the Indian sub-junior men and women squads for the inaugural Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship, scheduled to be held in Muscat, Oman, from 20 to 25 July 2026. Two players from Odisha (Sweety Kujur and Kiran Ekka) have been included in the sub-junior women team.

Sweety has also been named as the captain of the team. A product of Panposh Hockey Hostel, Rourkela, Sweet was the captain of the Indian team that won the bronze medal at the 6th Asian Womens U-18 Hockey Asia Cup, held in Kakamigahara, Japan from 29 May to 6 June 2026. However, no player from Odisha has been selected in the Indian sub-junior men team for the upcoming tournament.

Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship will feature seven men and women teams each. The mens competition will feature hosts Oman, India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, while the womens competition will see India, Pakistan, Oman, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Iran in action.

After league matches, top two teams will play for the gold medal, while the third and fourth ranked teams will battle for the bronze medal. The championship also carries added significance as it serves as the official Asian qualifier for the inaugural FIH U18 Youth Hockey5s World Cup. Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal have been appointed as the coach of the Indian sub-junior men and women team respectively.

INDIAN SUB-JUNIOR WOMEN TEAM: Goalkeepers: Khili Kumari, Mahak Parihar. Defenders: Nilam Topno, Kiran Ekka. Midfielders: Diya, Pushpa Manjhi, Shruti Kumari. Forwards: Nousheen Naz, Sandeepa Kumari, Sweety Kujur (Captain).

INDIAN SUB-JUNIOR MEN TEAM: Goalkeepers: Sawan Kumar, Ayush Rajak. Defenders: Karan Gautam, Ashish Tani Purti. Midfielders: Rahul Yadav, Romit Pal. Forwards: Ketan Kushwaha (Captain), Prahalad Rajbhar, Arshdeep Singh, Shahrukh Ali.
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PHOTO: Players of the Indian sub-junior women team for the Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship pose at the National camp in Bhopal on 14 July 2026.