Hockey India Senior Men Inter-Department National C’Ship in Pune from September 5-15.

Hockey Maharashtra will host the fourth edition of the Hockey India Senior Men Inter-Department National Championship in Pune from September 5 to 15, featuring 18 teams divided in four pools.

The 10-day tournament will be played at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in Pune, which will be the third city to host the competition after Bengaluru and New Delhi.

Among the competitors will be two-time winner and defending champion Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) and the 2022 winner in Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).

Four teams will feature in each pool while top two will advance to the last-eight round.

In Pool A, the 2021 and 2023 winner and runner-up in 2022, PSPB is placed with ITBP Central Hockey Team, Sports Authority of India, Central Civil Services Culture and Sports and Central Board of Direct Taxes.

RSPB is in Pool B with All India Police Sports Control Board, Sports Authority of Gujarat, Hockey Academy and Steel Plants Sport Board.

Pool C will have Services Sports Control Board who has finished at the third spot thrice in the past, along with the Food Corporation of India, Sashastra Seema Bal and Tamil Nadu Police.

Pool D will feature teams from Punjab National Bank, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Comptroller & Auditor General of India and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Among the players to feature in the competition are Surender Kumar, Asian Games gold medallist Akashdeep and Olympians Dharamveer, Devinder Walmiki, and Dilpreet Singh.

Many state players from Maharashtra will also feature in the competition including Yuvraj Walmiki, junior World Cup player Aditya Lalge and those who have been part of India team camps such as Teyron Perreira, Aquib Rahim, Pratap Shinde, Niyaz Rahim, Darshan Gawkar, Amit Gowda, Vikram Yadav, Ajinkya Jadhav and Aniket Gurav.

The first match will be played between Steel Plants Sports Board and All India Police Sports Promotion Board on Thursday.