~ India will face Ireland in their opening contest on Sunday, 19 June 2022 ~ 

Dublin, 18 June 2022: The Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team is set to begin its Uniphar U23 5 Nations Tournament 2022 campaign against Ireland at UCD Dublin on Sunday, 19 June 2022. The Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team will be back in action for the first time after the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup South Africa 2021. The Indian team will play against Ireland, Netherlands, USA and Ukraine in the league stage of the competition. 

Speaking about the team's preparations ahead of their tournament opener, Indian Captain Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke said, “We are finally here to play at the Uniphar U23 5 Nations 2022 and we could not be happier. The weather here is great. We have had a few practice sessions to get adjusted to the conditions. We have played well during training, and now we're hoping to replicate it in the upcoming matches," Phalke said. 

Beauty Dungdung, who has been named Phalke’s deputy for the series, reiterated her Captain's sentiments regarding the tour, saying that the team is fully prepared for the competition. 

"We have trained very well and we are quite excited because this is a huge opportunity for us to showcase our talent. This trip is also a fantastic exposure for our side. So we're just going to take it one game at a time, focus on ourselves and our game, and, yes, improve with each game," Dungdung said. 

Following its game against Ireland on 19 June 2022, the Indian Women’s Hockey Team will go up against the Netherlands on June 20, 2022. Thereafter, the team will face Ukraine on June 22, 2022, before locking horns with the United States of America (USA) in their final league stage match on June 23, 2022.   

At the end of the round-robin stage, the top two teams on the table will directly qualify for the Final while the third and fourth-placed sides will battle it out in the Bronze Medal Play-off match. The Final and the Bronze Medal Play-off match is slated to be held on June 26, 2022. 

The Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team will take on Ireland on June 19, 2022, at 1830 IST.