Olympians Surender Kumar, Pradeep Mor, S.V. Sunil, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Shamsher Singh and Chinglensana Singh to Feature as Marquee Players
State’s Young Players to Get an Opportunity to Play Alongside Experienced Players and Olympians; Expert Coaching During the League
Ajay Kumar, Ajitesh Rai, Mohammad Riyaz, Devesh Chauhan, Rajender Singh Junior and Rajneesh Mishra Appointed Head Coaches
Raipur, October 14, 2026/ The players and head coaches for all six franchise teams participating in the Chhattisgarh Hockey League, to be held in Raipur, have been selected. Accomplished and experienced hockey players who have represented India at the Olympic Games will feature as marquee players for the respective teams. Playing alongside senior players will give young hockey talents from Chhattisgarh an opportunity to hone their skills, while experienced coaches will guide the teams in their pursuit of the title.
During the league, players from the state will also learn from renowned coaches, gaining valuable technical skills and experience in handling the pressure of high-level competition. All matches will be conducted under the supervision of Hockey India officials.
The Chhattisgarh Hockey League brings together leading national-level players, Olympians, local talents and experienced hockey players from the state. Besides providing local talent with a high-level competitive platform, the league is expected to strengthen the state’s domestic hockey ecosystem.
All matches will be played from October 21 to November 1 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Hockey Stadium in Raipur. The first match will begin at 5:30 PM and the second at 7:30 PM. Entertainment programmes will be organised at the stadium every day between the two matches. Spectators will be able to watch the matches live on JioHotstar, while entry to the stadium will be completely free.
Organised by the Sports and Youth Welfare Department of the Chhattisgarh Government, the league features six franchise teams backed by prominent institutions and companies. Jindal Steel Limited owns the Chakradhar Champions franchise; South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) is associated with the Nyaydhani Knights; Shri Bajrang Power and Ispat Limited backs the Rajdhani Royals; Chhattisgarh Tourism Board is the franchise partner for the Mainpat Titans; Sarda Energy and Minerals Limited supports the Sanskardhani Strikers; and NMDC Limited owns the Bailadila Bulls franchise.
Nyaydhani Knights
Head Coach: Shri Mohammad Riyaz
Marquee Player: Surender Kumar
The team comprises Rahul Thakur, Mohammad Anees Raza, Lavi Manikpuri, Amit Toppo, Ashwin Kujur, Rohit Rajak, Sagar Suryavanshi, Syed Sameer Ali, Kashmir Minj, Abhijeet Shrivas, Sonu Nishad, Sukhved Nirmalkar, Shadab Ahmed Khan, Arbaaz Ali, Om Rudra Namdev, Aman Verma, Adarsh Raj Singh, Prince Mahto, Ketan Kushwaha, Rohit Kullu and Chirag.
Mainpat Titans
Head Coach: Shri Ajay Kumar
Marquee Player: Pradeep Mor
The team comprises Alfaz Khan, Sourya Verma, Ajay Tandi, Rehan Khan, Praveen Yadav, Sahil Jaksa, Mohit Nayak, Arpan Toppo, Aditya Meshram, Akvinash Tigga, Narendra Nishad, Sandeep Thakur, Prince Bhagat, Rahul Pannu, Pranjal Yadav, Nehal Bareth, Manish Watti, Daksh Chaubey, Prahlad, Anand Lakra and Avi Manikpuri.
Chakradhar Champions
Head Coach: Shri Ajitesh Rai
Marquee Player: S.V. Sunil
The team comprises Aseem Hansh, Vaibhav Singh Chandel, Vishnu Yadav, Avinash Tirkey, Karan Kumar Sahu, Arjun Yadav, Prem Rao, Mohit Kashyap, Anuj Jalkso, Shailendra Verma, Gagan Bakawale, Khogeshwar Bag, Kartik Yadav, Hardik Ahuja, Bhed Chaure, Bhavesh Dhankar, Manish Maurya, Baldev Kawasi, Yuvraj Valmiki, Parampreet and Adrohit Ekka.
Rajdhani Royals
Head Coach: Shri Rajender Singh Junior
Marquee Player: Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
The team comprises Himanshu Malik, Vinod Yadav, Junaid Ahmed, Sandeep Yadav, Sumit Minj, Taufiq Ahmed, Aniket Kujur, Omkar Yadav, Avinash Ekka, Shreyansh Chaurasia, Yogesh Meshram, Zubair Mohammad, Khushal Yadav, Kunal Sendrey, Yogesh Yadav, Chinta Ram, Arpan Lakra, Piyush Kumar Sahu, Sanjeet Tirkey, Premchand Soy and Roshan Kumar.
Sanskardhani Strikers
Head Coach: Shri Rajneesh Mishra
Marquee Player: Shamsher Singh
The team comprises Aditya Kumar Netam, Roshan Rajput, Jhakmak Lakra, Manas Patel, Somdev Suryavanshi, Nishant Tirkey, Tarun Yadav, Jeetu Hemla, Kushal Yadav, Somnath Yadav, Muhurt Kaushik, Om Kumar Yadav, Prakash Patel, Sarikh Ahmed, Munishwar Kumar, Mahendra Singh Nag, Abhishek Yadav, Ayush Sahu, Aryan Jes, Shahrukh and Ashish Tani Purti.
Bailadila Bulls
Head Coach: Shri Devesh Chauhan
Marquee Player: Chinglensana Singh Kangujam
The team comprises Daleshwar Yadav, Santosh Maurya, Robit Ekka, Gulshan Kaushik, Prahlad Tandi, Anand Suryavanshi, Nihal Hussain, Vishal Kispotta, Chandrashekhar Kushwaha, Prabhat Singh, Pritam Kujur, Ganesh Yadav, Aditya Meravi, Karan Verma, Toman Sahu, Himesh Bansod, Gopal Paikara, Aman Nag, Jaskaran Singh, Rahul Yadav and Karan Dhanuk.
The league is expected to provide Chhattisgarh’s emerging hockey players with valuable exposure through competition alongside established players and Olympians, while giving spectators an opportunity to enjoy high-quality hockey at no cost.