Indus Valley Times

By Ipsita Das

Bhubaneswar, Aug.19: Engil Harsharani Minz, a goalkeeper from the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (ONTHHPC), has been selected in the 20-member Indian Women’s Junior Hockey Team for the AHF (Asian Hockey Federation) Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2026, to be held in Moqi, China, from August 30 to September 13.

Engil’s selection marks another significant achievement for ONTHHPC and adds to the Centre’s growing contribution to India’s national hockey teams. The young goalkeeper has impressed with her composure, agility and consistency, steadily developing her game through the Centre’s high-performance training programme.

The AHF Women’s Junior Asia Cup is a major continental tournament for junior hockey, bringing together leading teams from across Asia. The championship will provide the young Indian squad with an important platform to gain international experience and compete at the highest level of junior hockey.

Congratulating Engil on her selection, Gurmeet Singh Rao, Project Director, ONTHHPC, said, “Engil’s selection to the Indian team is a proud moment for all of us at ONTHHPC. Her journey reflects her hard work, discipline and determination. It also demonstrates the importance of providing young athletes with the right training and competitive exposure. We wish Engil and the Indian team the very best for the tournament and hope they have a successful campaign.”

Engil’s selection reinforces ONTHHPC’s role in developing young hockey players and creating a pathway from high-performance training to national-level competition.

As part of Hockey Ace Foundation (HAF), a joint initiative of Tata Steel and Tata Trusts, ONTHHPC, in partnership with the Government of Odisha, works alongside the Naval Tata Hockey Academy in Jamshedpur to identify and nurture promising hockey talent. Through specialised coaching, tactical development, video analysis and holistic athlete development, the Foundation aims to prepare young players for elite competition and strengthen the talent pipeline for India’s national teams.

ONTHHPC congratulates Engil Harsharani Minz on her selection and wishes the Indian Women’s Junior Hockey Team success at the AHF Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2026 in Moqi, China.