India women’s hockey squad for tour of Australia 2026: Salima Tete to lead—Full list of players

Hockey India on Monday named a 22-member squad for the upcoming tour of Australia, scheduled to be held from May 26 to 30 in Perth.

The four-match tour will be held at the Perth Hockey Stadium and will prepare the Indian team for the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2025–26, scheduled to take place in Auckland from June 15-21.

India heads into the tour on the back of a strong showing in Argentina earlier this year, where it secured two wins in its four-match series.

Salima Tete will lead the side for the upcoming tour. She will have plenty of experience alongside her, with the likes of Savita, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lalremsiami and Navneet Kaur included in the squad.

Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam will be the reliable goalkeeping options, while in the defence, Nikki Pradhan, Ishika Chaudhary, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lalthantluangi and Jyoti will feature alongside Shilpi Dabas, who earned her maiden senior team call-up. Lalthantluangi has also received her maiden senior team call-up.

Salima will lead the midfield, alongside experienced campaigners such as Neha and Lalremsiami, while Sakshi Rana and Sunelita Toppo will look to continue impressing. Deepika Soreng and Sonam, who is yet to make her senior international debut, are also part of the midfield unit.

Navneet will be expected to continue her fine goalscoring form as she leads the forward line, which comprises Baljeet Kaur, Deepika, Annu, Ishika, Hina Bano and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal.

“We have picked a squad with a good balance of experienced and young players, some of whom will get their first minutes at the international level. It’s important to keep developing players, and the best way to do that is under pressure in international matches. These players now have the chance to show their best, and I am looking forward to seeing their performances,” coach Sjoerd Marijne said.

“This tour is to prepare for the upcoming Nations Cup. I want to see the level of performance we saw in our last two matches in Argentina and build consistency in our performances. That is the level we need to reach, and we have to continue improving so we can perform even better,” he added.

Published on May 18, 2026