In Hockey, India defeated hosts New Zealand 2-0 in the final in Auckland today to win their second FIH Women’s Nations Cup title and secured promotion to the FIH Women’s Pro League. Navneet Kaur gave India the early lead before Sunelita Toppo doubled India’s advantage. The team produced a stellar defensive display to protect their lead and win the title, which also marked their return to the Pro League next season.
Lalremsiami won the ‘Player of the Match’ award in the final, while Deepika finished as the joint-top scorer in the tournament with six goals to her name – sharing the honours with USA’s Ashley Sessa.
This is India’s second Nations Cup title, having won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022.
India remained unbeaten throughout their campaign, defeating USA, 3-2; Japan 2-1; and Uruguay 3-2 in the Pool A matches, before registering a commanding 6-0 win over Chile in the semi-final.
To recognise the teams’ achievements, Hockey India announced a cash award of 3 lakh rupees for each player and 1.5 lakh rupees for each member of the support staff.
