Hyderabad, Nov 14 (Agency) The ’57th Gooncha Nehru Senior Hockey Tournament’ (GNSHT), being hosted by Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society’s (JNHTS), was formally inaugurated by Telangana Principal Secretary (IT) and Telangana Olympic Association (TOA) president Jayesh Ranjan at South Central Railway Sports Complex here, on Sunday. Hyderabad is hosting the tournament sponsored by Gooncha Estates Pvt Ltd, part of the Hyderabad-based Gooncha Group, first time ever Nehru Tournament outside of New Delhi. The Senior Tournament is being conducted at Hyderabad as a tribute to Inder Mohan Kapur , the Founding Father of Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society and Gooncha Group. The inauguration was followed by the first knockout round match between RCF, Kapurthala and Tamil Nadu XI. RCF won the match by 3-2 and will now play against the winner of the second knock out match in pool ‘A’, day after tomorrow, to qualify and join the seeded teams in the Quarter Final League. Spanning over ten days, the tournament, which will conclude on Nov 23, will witness 22 matches in all, including an exhibition match. Some of the star-studded top teams in the country will be vying for the coveted ‘Inder Mohan Kapur Nehru Senior Winners’ Cup.’
Top 14 brass Hockey teams of the Nation, including six seeded teams, Punjab National Bank, Indian Oil and Army XI in Pool ‘A’ and Punjab & Sind Bank, Indian Railways, and CAG XI, in Pool ‘B’ and eight non-seeded teams of Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala (RCF); Tamil Nadu XI; Mumbai XI and South Central Railway in Pool ‘A’ and Indian Airforce; Telangana XI; Indian Navy and Delhi XI, in Pool ‘B’; are participating in the Tournament. The non-seeded teams, four each in Pool ‘A’ and Pool ‘B’ will compete in the preliminary knock out rounds between November 14 and 16, 2021. One team from each Pool will qualify and join the seeded teams in the Quarter Final League. The Quarter Final League will be played on a Round Robin basis, between November 16th and 21st, 2021. The two semi-finals will be played on November 22nd, 2021, and the finals will be held on November 23, 2021. Speaking on the occasion, Jayesh said, it’s a matter of great satisfaction that the 57th Gooncha Nehru Senior Hockey Tournament, came to Hyderabad, after 56 years of it being held in Delhi. Hockey is one of our priority sports and the ability to host such a prestigious tournament in Hyderabad is of immense joy and satisfaction.
Our Indian teams did so well in the recently concluded Olympics, said TOA President. We do have some great players who played for the country at the international level, national level coming to Hyderabad to participate here and encourage the sport, promote the sport, run coaching camps, he said. The fact this tournament is being held in Hyderabad will garner more encouragement and enthusiasm and delighted some of the topmost teams of the country are participating in this tournament, Jayesh added. Earlier, Jayesh along with Yash Bharwani, Executive Director, Gooncha Group and Vice-Chairman, Organising Committee, GNSHT, paid rich tributes to the Founding Father, I.M. Kapur for his foresight and immense contributions to society. The winners of the tournament will be presented the Inder Mohan Kapur Nehru Senior Winners trophy, made of pure silver and plated in gold and a prize money of Rs 4 Lakhs while the runners-up will get the Inder Mohan Kapur Nehru Senior Runners-Up Cup and win a purse of Rs 2 Lakhs. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) will be awarded a brand new Benelli Imperiale 400 (BS6) from M/s Gooncha Motors Pvt Ltd. The ‘player of the match’ throughout the tournament will be given branded hockey sticks, sponsored by the Gooncha Group.