The Asian Champions Trophy returns after gap of two years and the fact that it is being played in India must give a lot of joy to the hockey fans in the country. The tournament is going to be played Chennai, where the weather conditions are going to be hot and humid, which will be a big challenge for the players. A total of six teams are taking part in the tournament, namely, India, Pakistan, Japan, China, Malaysia and South Korea. Koreans are the defending champions as they had beaten Japan in the final in Dhaka in 2021.
All eyes will be on the India vs Pakistan clash in the tournament. That match is on August 9 and expect the stadium to be fully packed for this mouth-watering match. India have a strong squad led by Harmanpreet Singh. Hardik Singh will be the player to watch out for. The mid-fielder is known for his athleticism and runs quickly with the ball. PR Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak are the goalkeepers while Manpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas are the other experienced players in the side.
The anticipation builds up _
Pakistan Men’s Hockey Team arrived in Chennai for their quest to win Hero Asian Champions Trophy for the fourth time.#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HACT2023 pic.twitter.com/shbeiHcaCv— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 2, 2023
Below is all information you need to know about the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy:
Which are the teams that will participate in Asian Champions Trophy?
There are a total of six teams which are going to fight for the cup. They are India, Pakistan, Malaysia, South Korea, China and Japan.
What is the format of the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy?
All the six teams will play each other once in the round-robin format. Four teams qualify for the semis and they winners of the semis play the final.
Where will the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy take place?
The matches of 2023 Asian Champions Trophy will be held at Major Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai.
Complete schedule of 2023 Asian Champions Trophy (All timings IST):
3 August
Korea vs Japan (4 pm)
Malaysia vs Pakistan (6.15 pm)
India vs China (8.30 pm)
4 August
Korea vs Pakistan (4 pm)
China vs Malaysia (6.15 pm)
India vs Japan (8.30 pm)
6 August
China vs Korea (4 pm)
Pakistan vs Japan (6.15 pm)
Malaysia vs India (8.30 pm)
7 August
Japan vs Malaysia (4 pm)
Pakistan vs China (6.15 pm)
India vs Korea (8.30 pm)
9 August
Japan vs China (4 pm)
Malaysia vs Korea (6.15 pm)
India vs Pakistan (8.30 pm)
11 August
Fifth place playoff match: Fifth ranked team vs sixth ranked team (3.30 pm)
Semi-final 1: Second ranked team vs third ranked team (6 pm)
Semi-final 2: First ranked team vs fourth ranked team (8.30 pm)
12 August
Third place playoff match: Loser of SF 1 vs Loser of SF 2 (6 pm)
Final: Winner of SF 1 vs Winner of SF 2 (8.30 pm)
Where can I watch the matches of 2023 Asian Champions Trophy?
The matches of 2023 Asian Champions Trophy will have their live telecast on Star Sports Network. Fans can also watch the live streaming of the games on Disney +Hotstar app and website.
India squad for 2023 Asian Champions Trophy:
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (capt), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas
Midfielders: Hardik Singh (vice-captain), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh.
Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, S Karthi.
