Malaysian team not to compete

The Malaysian Junior National team, who had triumphed in the Phase 1 of the KSHA Super Division League, will not be participating in the tournament proper that is expected to kick off on April 1.

“They’ll not be participating in the tournament because it clashes with their national championship,” said K Krishnamurthy, secretary of the Karnataka State Hockey Association. “They did try their best but couldn’t. As a result, MEG, who finished runners-up to them, will compete in the Super Divsion.”

The Super Division, which will feature a total of 10 teams including big names such as Air India, IOCL and BPCL, is expected conclude on April 20. Plans are also afoot to stage the final week’s matches under floodlights.