Why states other than Odisha haven't hosted international hockey in a long time
The first of those 'sponsorship' hugs between Hockey India and the state of Odisha in 2018 was a five year commitment. It warmed up so nicely that an extension of 10 years, until 2033, was announced even before the previous five-year contract period was over. Like Bhubaneswhar in 2014, international hockey in India travelled to three other new venues over the next two years: Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh for the 2015 Test series against Australia, Raipur in Chhattisgarh for the FIH Hockey World League Final and then to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh for the 2016 Junior World Cup, which turned out to be India's historic second triumph in the tournament.


