The seventh edition of the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) hockey tournament will see an interesting mix of players competing for the top prize. While Pakistani debutant Muhammad Ammad, 16, the youngest player at this tournament, will try to help his team win it for a record fourth time (India and Pakistan have won the title three times each), Korea’s skipper and the oldest member at this edition, Nam Yong Lee, 39, will want his team to defend the title they won in 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. India’s hardworking midfielder, Manpreet Singh, will be the most experienced player on view here with a whopping 335 international caps under his belt while as many as 13 players—three each from Pakistan and Korea, and seven from China—will be making their international debut on the brand new Poligras Paris GT Zero artificial turf that has been laid at the 8,000-capacity Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here at a steep cost of Rs 9 crore.

Bomman, the mascot at Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium. Pic/Ashwin Ferro