Hockey Maharashtra Gears Up for Junior West Zone Championship 2024

Forwards Vishal Mandade and Sanika Mane will lead Hockey Maharashtra Junior teams in the 2nd Hockey India Junior Men's and Women's West Zone Championship 2024. The boys' team faces six teams in a league format, while the girls' team is set for a league-cum-knockout challenge.

Forwards Vishal Mandade from Nagpur and Sanika Mane of Kolhapur will lead the Hockey Maharashtra Junior Boys and Girls teams in the 2nd Hockey India Junior Men's and Women's West Zone Hockey Championship 2024, to be held in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh.

The boys' team is set to compete in an all-play-all league format and will take on teams from Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Rajasthan, Hockey Chhattisgarh, Hockey Gujarat, and Goan Hockey. The top two teams will advance to the final.

In the girls' section, teams will play in a league-cum-knockout format with the top two from each group moving to the semifinals. Hockey Maharashtra is placed in Pool-B alongside Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Diu & Daman, Goa Hockey, and Hockey Rajasthan. The boys' team will face hosts Chhattisgarh, and the girls' team will compete against Goa on Sunday.

Before their departure, both teams underwent a 15-day selection and conditioning camp under the guidance of Olympians Ajit Lakra and Vikram Pillay at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium, Nehrunagar-Pimpri.

Coach Muthanna B.K from Mumbai and Manager Aniket More from Kolhapur will accompany the boys' team, which includes players like Vedant Rahate from Mumbai, Sahil Vaidya from Wardha, and Gaurav Patil from Kolhapur.

The girls' team, coached by Vaishali Sul of Pune and managed by Harsha Ingale of Yewatmal, features players including goalkeepers Vaishnavi Khandare from Kolhapur and Rishika Navalakha from Pune.