Thirty-five teams will be participating in the 4th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship to be held in Chennai from March 24.
The matches will be played at two venues - SDAT Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium and YMCA Nandanam Hockey Stadium.
The participating teams are divided into two Divisions - A and B. While Division A will have 16 teams, Division B features 19 teams.
The three new teams added to this year's championships are Steel Plants Sports Board, Hockey Gangpur - Odisha and Vidarbha Hockey Association.
The inaugural match of the season will be played between Hockey Mizoram and Steel Plant Sports Board and Hockey Puducherry and Hockey Gangpur - Odisha in Division B.
Defending champions Hockey Punjab will play their first match against Chandigarh Olympic Association on March 24, while runners-up Hockey Odisha will take on Hockey Karnataka.
"The 4th season of Junior Men National Championship is all set to commence and hockey fans will continue witnessing a long season of hockey in India. These back-to-back tournaments will help Hockey India to identify budding talent, who are then groomed for the international arena," said Elena Norman, CEO, Hockey India.
