Women’s Asia Champions Trophy: India to begin campaign against Thailand on October 27 

India are set to get their campaign underway in the Women’s Asia Champions Trophy against Thailand on October 27 at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf hockey stadium. Hockey India announced the schedule on Tuesday, September 12.

Malaysia and Japan are scheduled to lock horns in the first game of the tournament before India takes on Thailand in the third contest. Apart from India, Thailand, Japan and Malaysia, Korea and China are the other two participants.

India’s last and final match in the group stage of the championship is against Korea on November 2. The tournament will end on November 5.

"We are proud to host another major Asian tournament and I'm sure the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy will be a great spectacle with some of the top women's hockey teams in the world participating in the tournament," Dilip Tirkey, the Hockey India president, was quoted as saying to PTI.

"The announcement of the schedule signals the start of the final stages before the tournament and we cannot wait for this extravaganza to begin," he added.

The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals. The table-topper will face the fourth-placed team. The second-placed and third-placed teams will face each other in the other semi-final.

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India in good form ahead of Women’s Asia Champions Trophy

The Indian women’s team has done well of late. In the Commonwealth Games last year in Birmingham, India won the bronze medal. In 2022, they also secured victory in the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup in Spain.

Back in 2016, India won the Asian Champions Trophy after beating China 2-1 in the final. Two years later in 2018, they finished as the runner-up.

Japan are the defending champions but they are expected to face a tough challenge against Korea, who have won the tournament three out of six times.