The Indian women’s hockey team will be on a tour Down Under to play Australia in a four-match series scheduled to start on Tuesday.
All four Australia vs India women’s hockey matches will be played at the Perth Hockey Stadium.
The tour will serve as important preparation for India ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup, scheduled to take place in Auckland from June 15 to 21.
The upcoming Nations Cup will be India’s opportunity to earn back promotion to the FIH Pro League for the 2026-27 season, which will also be a hockey qualifier for the LA 2028 Olympics.
India head into the tour on the back of a strong showing in Argentina earlier this year, where they held the world No. 2 team to a 2-2 draw.
Ninth in the world hockey rankings, India will be more evenly matched with the eighth-ranked Australia. Moreover, matches in Perth will be invaluable to acclimate themselves to the conditions in Auckland.
Salima Tete, a bronze medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Asian Games, will captain the squad for the upcoming tour.
Tete missed the Argentina tour due to illness and will look to feel her way back into the setup.
Three members of the 22-member Indian squad for Australia – Sonam, Hina Bano and Lalthantluangi – will be up for their international debuts during the tour.
“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,” head coach Sjoerd Marijne said.
“It’s important to keep developing players, and the best way to do that is under pressure in international matches… I want to see the level of performance we saw in our last two matches in Argentina and build consistency in our performances,” he added.
Australia vs India women’s hockey 2026 schedule and live match start times
As per Indian Standard Times (IST)
May 26, Tuesday: Australia vs India match 1 – 5:00 PM
May 27, Wednesday: Australia vs India match 2 – 5:00 PM
May 29, Friday: Australia vs India match 3 – 11:00 AM
May 30, Saturday: Australia vs India match 4 – 11:00 AM
Indian women’s hockey team for Australia tour 2026
Goalkeepers: Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam
Defenders: Nikki Pradhan, Ishika Chaudhary, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lalthantluangi, Jyoti, Shilpi Dabas
Midfielders: Salima Tete, Lalremsiami, Neha, Sakshi Rana, Sunelita Toppo, Deepika Soreng, Sonam
Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Baljeet Kaur, Deepika, Annu, Ishika, Hina Bano, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal