Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s defender Anmol Ekka named as the captain of junior Indian men's team for the AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026 to be held in Moqi, China, from 30 August to 13 September 2026.

Altogether seven Odisha players have been included in the 18-member squad along with two alternate players for the tournament. The Odisha players are Vivek Lakra, Anmol Ekka, Rohit Kulu, Sanjit Tirkey, Adrohit Ekka, Aryan Xess and Ritik Lakra (alternative player)’

Captained by defender Anmol Ekka, the squad is currently training at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bengaluru under the guidance of newly appointed coach Frederic Soyez.

As part of their build-up to the tournament, the team recently completed a productive exposure tour of Belgium, where they competed against strong international opposition. The tour offered the players valuable match experience and key takeaways, enabling the squad to assess their progress, refine their combinations and further strengthen their preparations ahead of the AHF Junior Asia Cup.

The team is gaining further competitive exposure through friendly matches against the Malaysian U-21 team at the SAI centre in Bengaluru.

The squad: Goalkeepers: Vivek Lakra, Kunal Tewatia, Defenders: Anmol Ekka (c), Rohit Kullu, Chirag, Ravinder, Ashu Maurya, Sanjit Tirkey, Sukhvinder, Midfielders: Adrohit Ekka, Harpal, Jeetpal, Manmeet Singh Rai, Forwards: Ajeet Yadav, Prabhdeep Singh, Gursewak Singh, Aryan Xess, Lovenoor Singh, Alternate Players: Arjun Santosh Hargude, Ritik Lakra.