The cream of Indian hockey will be seen in action when the Super League stage of the 61st Senior Nationals begins in Hyderabad on Friday.
Four institutional teams -- Air India, Indian Oil Corporation, Punjab and Sindh Bank and Namdhari XI will join the eight winners of the pre-quarter-final league in the Super League, where 12 teams are divided into four pools.
On the opening day, Indian Airlines will take on Railways, Punjab will play Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh will lock horns with Bengal and Services will clash with Karnataka.
In the next two days, the top eight teams will play the four institutional teams and the topper of each pool will play the semi-finals on March 29.
The final will be played on March 30.
While in-form teams like Indian Airlines, Railways, Services, Chandigarh and Karnataka will persist with their experience, the four institutional teams are expected to give a tough time to the qualifiers.
The Pools:
Pool A: Indian Airlines, Railways, Air India.
Pool B: Punjab and Sindh Bank, Bengal, Chandigarh.
Pool C: Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Indian Oil Corporation.
Pool D: Services, Karnataka and Namdhari XI.
