Kapurthala, March 19, 2026: The 46th All India Railway Women’s Hockey Championship was inaugurated today at Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala with great enthusiasm and sporting spirit. The prestigious tournament is being held from March 19 to March 25, 2026.

A total of nine teams from Zonal Railways and Production Units are participating in the championship. To ensure competitive matches, the teams have been divided into two pools. Pool–A comprises Central Railway Mumbai, South Eastern Railway Kolkata, Western Railway Mumbai, North Eastern Railway Gorakhpur, and East Central Railway Hajipur. Pool–B includes host Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala along with North Central Railway Prayagraj, Northern Railway New Delhi, and West Central Railway Jabalpur.

The inauguration ceremony witnessed the presence of top railway officials, sports enthusiasts, and a large number of spectators. Several Olympians and international-level women hockey players are participating, raising the standard of the competition to a highly competitive level.

On the opening day, four exciting matches were played. In the first match, defending champions Central Railway Mumbai defeated Western Railway 5–2. In the second match, South Eastern Railway Kolkata beat North Eastern Railway Gorakhpur 3–2. In the third match, Northern Railway New Delhi defeated North Central Railway Prayagraj 3–0.

In the fourth match, host and last year’s runner-up RCF Kapurthala delivered an outstanding performance, defeating West Central Railway Jabalpur by a massive margin of 14–0. RCF scored 10 field goals and successfully converted 4 penalty corners into goals. The team displayed aggressive play in all four quarters. Annu and Kajal scored 3 goals each for RCF, playing a crucial role in the victory. Annu was declared the ‘Player of the Match’ for her outstanding performance.

The matches will continue in the coming days, and the grand final will be held o­n March 25, 2026 at the Synthetic Turf Hockey Stadium of RCF Kapurthala.