India name 20-member squad for Hockey World Cup, Harmanpreet Singh to lead
India has announced a 20-member squad for the upcoming FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, captained by Harmanpreet Singh. The team aims to improve upon their 2023 performance after a challenging Pro League campaign.
Why it matters
The squad selection is a critical update for sports fans tracking India's performance in international field hockey.
India on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) named a 20-member squad for next month's FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, with four players from the side who featured in the European leg of the Pro League missing out owing to the tournament's squad-size limit.
Defender Amandeep Lakra, midfielders Raj Kumar Pal and Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, and forward Selvam Karthi were the four players omitted from the 24-member Pro League squad.
India endured a disappointing FIH Pro League campaign last month, winning four, drawing five and losing seven matches to finish eighth among nine teams, just above Pakistan.
The side will now look to improve on their recent World Cup record.
India finished ninth in the previous edition in 2023 and have not won any medal since claiming their lone title in Kuala Lumpur in 1975. They had earlier secured bronze in Barcelona in 1971 and silver in Amsterdam in 1973.
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