Hockey

Indian men's hockey team on Wednesday suffered a big jolt even before the start of their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup opener against Japan after centre-half Manpreet Singh was ruled out of the tournament following the sudden death of his father.

India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and Deepika won the Dhruv Batra Player of the Year award for men and women, respectively, at the Hockey India second annual awards here on Saturday.

HI on Thursday released the list of nominations for the much-awaited Hockey India Annual Awards which will be given in recognition of excellence in performance for the year 2015 and overall contribution to the game.

Punjab Warriors scored a field goal in the dying minutes of the game to ensure a 4-4 draw against Kalinga Lancers and secure a place in the Hockey India League semi-finals on Monday.

It was Ranchi Rays fourth consecutive win on home ground the Astro Turf Hockey Stadium.

The tour which is one of the many international exposure tours planned for the Indian eves ahead of the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio will see Ritu Rani lead the team with assistance from Deepika.

The girl, who is an India-origin resident in the UK, has filed a complaint in a police station in Ludhiana and claims to have been subjected to "mental and physical harassment" by Sardar.

Jaypee Punjab Warriors defeated Dabang Mumbai 3-1 in a dominating display to notch up their second win and jump to the top of the table in the Hockey India League on Sunday.

Rupinder scored in the 24th and 36th minutes as Delhi Waveriders edged past Jaypee Punjab Warriors in a closely-contested Hockey India League match in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

Swann was bought by Dabang Mumbai for $75,000 at the auction last year. Mumbai will begin their Hockey India League campaign against Kalinga Lancers in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

South Africa's men's and women's hockey teams have lost an appeal to the IOC against the decision by their own Olympic committee to exclude them from the 2016 Games, the country's hockey association said on Thursday.

The Board of mining behemoth Coal India Limited has allocated Rs 14.73 crore for the title sponsorship of the fourth edition of "Hockey India League" for the 2016 season.

India are still searching for their first win in the tournament, having finished last in Pool B with a draw and two losses.

In a fast-paced game, India paid dearly for poor finishing to end up without a win in the pool stage. Thanks to the format, the hosts will still play the QF, which will be against Pool A toppers.

"Yesterday, we didn't look like a team and I told them that in the team meeting. But today we were one team and that displayed in our game," Oltmans said.

India have improved by leaps and bounds recently but the hosts have to be on their toes when they face Argentina in the lung-opener of the Hockey World League (HWL) Finals.