Overview
- Hockey India named a 33-man core for the Feb 1–7 camp ahead of the Pro League home leg in Rourkela on Feb 10–15, leaving out Manpreet Singh, goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak and forward Dilpreet Singh.
- Craig Fulton and Hockey India publicly framed the changes as rotation to manage workload and assess younger players after the Hockey India League.
- Multiple PTI-sourced reports say the omissions followed a December tour incident in South Africa involving an allegedly banned-substance-laced gum given to a teammate, with apologies later offered by those implicated.
- Additional reports say Fulton objected strongly to Manpreet’s exclusion and was persuaded to continue after offering to quit, while officials maintained the public stance of resting the senior midfielder.
- Manpreet issued a statement saying he requested a short break to spend time with family and recharge; he remains one appearance shy of equalling Dilip Tirkey’s India caps record.