Opacity in Hockey India selection process questioned after World Cup exit
In New Delhi on August 30, 2026, concerns were raised about the opacity of Hockey India's selection process after the Indian men's hockey team returned from the FIH Hockey World Cup in Wavre, Belgium. The team's disappointing performance at the tournament has prompted scrutiny of coach Craig Fulton and the continued presence of several senior players, while attention to the selection committee itself has been limited.
Hockey India's official website lists 16 selectors who are said to take turns for selection duties alongside chief coaches, scientific advisors, doctors, physiotherapists and the High Performance Director. In practice, multiple current and former insiders say the same individuals have been used repeatedly for years, and several listed selectors report not being involved in recent selection work.
Yuvraj Walmiki and Chinglensana Singh Kangujam — described in the report as the youngest of the listed selectors — say they have not been informed or invited for selection duties for almost two years. Rajnish Mishra and Sameer Dad, the report states, have not been called since 2024, and M.M. Somaya had earlier this year requested to be removed as a selector after being repeatedly ignored. “I wasn’t called for selection duties for almost two years. Only when I myself called up to suggest that I travel from Mumbai for the junior women’s Nationals recently in Pune on my own was I told that I had been, in fact, already removed as a selector,” Walmiki confirmed to The Hindu.
Several listed selectors are said to have been occupied with team responsibilities: Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal are serving as chief coaches of the men’s and women’s national sub-junior sides respectively, while Mishra has been entrusted with Under-18 coaching duties along with Sardar. The report adds that Asunta Lakra, an executive committee member, has been sidelined amid a legal dispute with HI secretary general Bholanath Singh over harassment issues. The post of High Performance Director has been vacant since September 2024 when Dutchman Herman Kruis’s six-month tenure ended.
Federation sources cited by the report name B.P. Govinda, Balwinder Singh and Mohd. Riaz as among those repeatedly given selection responsibility, with R.P. Singh serving as chairman. “As per the Hockey India constitution, selectors are appointed by the executive committee as per federation rules and need its approval to be removed as well,” the article notes, and EC member Asima Ali said: “The executive board has been completely bypassed by a few select people including the secretary general — whether it is appointments, dismissals, executive or financial decisions, everything. These are people who have been convicted in a court of law for contempt! It is frankly frustrating.”
Some selectors quoted in the report say younger panel members had pushed for a post-Paris transition and planning, but their recommendations were overridden. “Many of the younger selectors had insisted on moving ahead after Paris. In fact, they had suggested putting a plan in place even before Paris, knowing that it could be the end for some senior players. But HI and the chief coach persisted with them and overruled everyone who opposed. Over time, we have not been called up even for domestic competitions,” one selector alleged. Another selector added: “What’s the point of going to domestic competitions anyway when no new name is included in the national camps or our recommendations not even looked at? If the same 30-odd players are to be rotated, national championships become only an avenue for jobs,” he said.
As per the Hockey India constitution, selectors require executive committee appointment and its approval for removal, a procedural requirement central to the complaints detailed in the report; questions about adherence to that process and the future of coach Craig Fulton and several senior players remain part of the broader debate following the World Cup exit.