 "Harendra Singh had taken over as chief coach of the Indian women's hockey team in April 2024 and led the side to victory in the Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir later that year. PTI")
Indian women’s hockey team chief coach Harendra Singh on Monday resigned from the post with immediate effect citing “personal reasons".
Harendra, who had taken over the reins in April last year, led India to title triumph in the Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir in November last year, but under him the team also got demoted from the FIH Pro League after finishing last in the 2024-25 season.
“Coaching the Indian women’s hockey team has been a privilege that has been a highlight of my career. Though personal reasons call me to step away, my heart remains with this extraordinary team and their ongoing success," said Harendra, who was the United States men’s hockey team’s tactician prior to becoming the Indian women’s coach, in a statement shared by Hockey India.
“I will always cherish my journey with Hockey India and continue to support their efforts to take Indian hockey to the highest levels of achievement," he said.
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, while accepting the resignation, appreciated the commitment of Harendra, who guided India’s junior men’s team to the 2016 FIH Jr World Cup title in Lucknow.
“We thank Harendra Singh for his services and his exemplary experience. His commitment towards the development of Indian Hockey is well-known across the hockey community across the world. While we will announce a suitable replacement soon, we wish him the very best," said the former India player.
“We will soon start the process of appointing a new coach. There were some complaints from players about his high handedness and strict attitude but this was not the issue behind his resignation," added Tirkey.
According to sources, Dutch tactician Sjoerd Marijne, who was head coach of the Indian women’s team that finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, could return as the chief coach.
Marijne had resigned as head coach of the women’s team in August 2021.
While the Asian Champions Trophy was an achievement, the performance of the side in the FIH 2024-25 season was a major disappointment for Harendra. The team recorded just two wins in 16 matches in the global competition, and failed to qualify for the next season.
A Hockey India source said that Harendra was asked to resign because of performance issues.
“He was given everything he wanted, all his requests were accepted. But what is the performance of the team. In the last one-and-half years, we have not shown any result. In terms of fitness, 13 main players are injured in the core group," said the source.
Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh extended his wishes to Harendra.
“We extend our support to Harendra Singh and his contributions to the team. We wish him the very best and further continue to ensure the Indian women’s team’s preparations will continue as planned for the (World Cup) Qualifiers."