Indian men and women's hockey teams leave for FIH Hockey5s Lausanne

The Indian men and women's teams left for Lausanne, Switzerland on Wednesday to participate in the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022, scheduled to be held from June 4 to 5.

The Indian men and women's teams left for Lausanne, Switzerland in the early hours on Wednesday to participate in the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022, scheduled to be held from June 4 to 5.

While the men's team is set to play against Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland and Switzerland, the women's side will face South Africa, Uruguay, Poland and Switzerland in the round-robin stage.

The top two teams will square off in the final on June 5.

The Rajani Etimarpu-led Indian women's team will take on Uruguay in the opening match on June 4, followed by a match against Poland on the same day. They will then square off against hosts Switzerland and South Africa, respectively on June 5.

"Hockey5s will be a different ball game altogether. Our skills, speed and everything will be tested. It will be challenging for sure, but I think it will really exciting format to play," Rajani said in a Hockey India (HI) release.

"We've got a couple of players in the team who are acquainted with this format, and we've had good preparations at the camp. We are looking forward to representing our country in the inaugural edition of the Hockey5s."

Meanwhile, the Indian men's team led by Gurinder Singh, will play their opening match against hosts Switzerland, followed by a game against Pakistan on the opening day. They will then face Malaysia and Poland respectively on June 5.

"It's a fast-paced and challenging format. Many of our players have played this format before at the Youth Olympics, so we are confident of doing well," Gurinder said.