Domestic season ends or starts?

Hockey India League is the culmination of domestic season or opener is what one can now ponder over, as Senior National Championships will start at Lucknow just a couple of days after the HIL final is held in Ranchi.

Normally, any League marks the end of domestic season in most countries, but here we have the most precious of domestic events, Sr Nationals, starts after the most awaited and celebrated HIL will be over.

Senior Championships to follow Hockey India League

Following the completion of Hockey India League, fourth edition of the Senior Men National Championship is lined up in the calendar. The championship will be played at National Stadium, Lucknow from February 27 to March 23.

The championship will have 42 teams which are divided into Division A and B. While the 20 teams in Division A will play between February 27 and March 13, Division B which has 22 teams will play from March 11 to March 23.

This year four new teams are participating in the league- Hockey Gangpur, Vidarbha Hockey Association, Central Reserve Police Force and Food Corporation of India.

The inaugural match of Division B shall be played between Puducherry and Hockey Gangpur and that of Division A will be played between Jharkhand and Bhopal.

Last year, Air India had won the title.

It is very unfortunate the domestic season with many age group nationals starts in the examination season, perhaps putting prospective school, college, university students in difficult to choose either of the one, or at the cost of the other.