Nur Khan hockey championship from April 20

KARACHI: The 65th Air Marshal (Late) Nur Khan Departmental National Hockey Championship will be played at Abdul Sattar Edhi Stadium, Karachi, from April 20 to May 2.

The championship will be organised by Sindh Hockey Association on behalf of PHF. The details of the national championship would be announced in a press briefing in Karachi, a PHF spokesman said.

This year PHF has inducted development squads comprising under-23 players and those who were not picked by any departmental team. The teams to feature in the event are four development squads, NBP, PIA, WAPDA, Army, Navy, PAF, Steel Mills, SNGPL, Fauji Foundation, ZTBL, Port Qasim, SSGC, PTV, Railways, HEC, and Mari Petroleum.

NBP, the defending champions, face some stiff resistance from other teams, many of which have inducted young players. The NBP sports head Iqbal Qasim has said that the bankers would successfully defend the title. He added that they have started their training programme to defend the title.