New Delhi, Jan 3: Two Indian teams each in men’s and women’s categories named ‘India A’ and ‘India B’ will be announced on January 8 for the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup, to be held here from January 13-19.
The squads will comprise of 15-members each for the men’s and women’s competitions, which will be picked from an ongoing camp of 60 players in both groups.
The competition will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi and at the Noida Indoor Stadium.
“The final teams and the captains for India A and India B in both men’s and women’s sections will be announced on January 8,” said Sudhanshu Mittal, the president of Kho Kho Federation of India during a ceremony to unveil mascots Tara and Tejas and the World Cup Trophy.
“The two teams will be fielded keeping in mind the hectic seven-day schedule where each team will be playing multiple matches every day,” he added.
Mittal informed visas for Pakistan players were awaited, hoping that they will be able to participate in the first-ever World Cup. India and Pakistan are slated to clash in the tournament opener on January 13.
“The visa has not come yet. Dil ki dhadkan badhi hui hai (I am a bit tensed). But I am hopeful that everything will be sorted well in time,” Mittal said.
The tournament features 24 countries, including the USA, England, Germany, Australia, and Brazil, competing in a league-cum-knockout format for both men’s and women’s teams.
Indonesia will send only women’s team, while the others will field squads in both categories.
The quarterfinals will be on January 17, semifinals on January 18 and the final is slated for January 19. A total of 615 players and 125 support staff will participate.
India’s national camp featuring 60 men and as many women players is currently underway at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. (PTI)
