Ranchi: After decades, Hockey Jammu and Kashmir teams are once again making their mark at the national level, with both the men’s and women’s sides registering impressive performances in the 16th Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championships 2026.
The women’s team created history by topping its pool for the first time in the 16th Hockey India Sub Junior Women National Championship 2026 held in Ranchi.
J&K began its campaign with a 3-2 win over Puducherry Women’s Hockey Team. The team followed it up with a dominant 14-0 victory over Rajasthan Women’s Hockey Team in its second pool match.
Akshra Dutta emerged as the star performer for J&K and was adjudged Player of the Match in both matches.
The men’s side also put up an encouraging performance in the 16th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2026 held in Rajgir.
Although J&K lost its opening match 3-2 to a strong Goa Men’s Hockey Team side, the team bounced back strongly to defeat Rajasthan Men’s Hockey Team 2-1 in the second pool match.
Officials attributed the turnaround in the fortunes of Hockey J&K to the efforts made after Gurdeep Singh took over the organisation in June 2025.
Since then, the functioning of Hockey Jammu and Kashmir has improved considerably. More than two dozen tournaments across different age groups have been organised during this period, including the J&K UT Championship, which was held after a gap of three years.
