The story so far
Saffron hockey jersey row
Tracked across 6 sources · Updated 5h ago
Hockey India changed Indian hockey teams' jersey from blue to saffron for the 2026 World Cup, citing visibility on blue turf. The move drew sharp criticism from former players and opposition politicians, who accused it of saffronisation. Hockey India and team captain defended the decision as non-political.
How it unfolded
1d ago
Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik calls change 'petty politics'
1d ago
Captain Harmanpreet Singh says no politics involved
1d ago
Opposition slams saffron jersey, calls it saffronisation
1d ago
Hockey India clarifies: change for visibility on blue turf
1d ago
Viren Rasquinha criticises jersey change as 'embarrassing'
4d ago
Indian hockey team unveils new jersey for World Cup
What happened earlier
Latest updates
Latest
Full story →Seeing red over saffron: Indian hockey’s kit change sparks debate
India's hockey team changed its primary jersey from blue to saffron ahead of the World Cup in Netherlands and Belgium from August 15-30.
Hockey India cited technical visibility against blue synthetic pitches as the reason, adding saffron symbolizes courage, sacrifice, and national pride.
Three players said they were not consulted about the change, contradicting Hockey India's statement that coaches and players suggested the color.
World Cup-winning captain Ajit Pal Singh and other stalwarts rejected the move, emphasizing blue's century-long legacy since Dhyan Chand.
Earlier · 4d ago
Full story →Indian men's hockey team unveils new jersey for FIH World Cup
Indian men's hockey team unveiled a new jersey for the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in Belgium and Netherlands.
India qualified for the World Cup by winning the Asia Cup.
India will compete in Pool D against England, Wales, and Pakistan.
The tournament runs from August 14-30.
Earlier · 1d ago
Full story →'Embarrassing': Former hockey captain slams India's blue jersey being replaced by saffron
Former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha criticized Hockey India's decision to replace the team's iconic blue jersey with saffron ahead of the 2026 Hockey World Cup.
Rasquinha called the jersey change 'embarrassing' and questioned its necessity.
Hockey India stated the new saffron color symbolizes 'courage, sacrifice & victory' and represents new beginnings.
India's men's and women's teams will begin their World Cup campaigns in Group D.
Earlier · 19h ago
Full story →Hockey India Clarifies Jersey Colour Change To 'Saffron' Amid Backlash
Hockey India changed the jersey color to saffron for the 2026 World Cup.
The change aims to improve visibility on blue synthetic pitches.
The announcement came after backlash over the color alteration.
Both men's and women's hockey teams will wear the new jerseys.
Hockey India issued a statement clarifying the reason for the change.
Earlier · 14h ago
Full story →Viren Rasquinha Questions Hockey India's Jersey Color Change
Former India captain Viren Rasquinha posted about Hockey India's decision to change the jersey color.
Rasquinha faced backlash on social media for his post.
The jersey row involves men's and women's hockey team jerseys being changed.
The controversy has taken a political turn with discussion of Argentina wearing orange.