Fulton Is Building a New India for LA 2028, and the New Zealand Tour Is Where It Starts

Craig Fulton isn’t waiting for the LA 2028 cycle to start. He’s starting it now.

India’s head coach has confirmed the plan: a younger group travels to New Zealand for three matches in Auckland on 19, 21 and 22 November, the players come back together for the Hockey India League, and then a new squad gets picked for the Pro League home leg in February. That new squad plays the Pro League, and then it starts the 2027-28 cycle with that group.

“We will select a new squad for the Pro League in January (February),” Fulton said. “There is very little time to train because the players will go back to their respective franchises. We will name a new squad, which will play in the Pro League, and then start the 2027-28 cycle with that squad.”

India host Germany, Argentina, Great Britain and Spain in the February home leg. That’s a serious test for a new group, and Fulton knows it. But his point is that the change has already started. Nine players have changed since the previous Asian Champions Trophy squad, and he’s played three ACTs now without ever naming the same team twice.

“Every team needs transition, and every team needs to change,” he said. “We have already made changes. We have played the Asian Champions Trophy three times, and we have never had the same team on all three occasions. The team that played in Chennai (2023) was different from the one that played in Hulunbuir (2024). We have changed nine players since the previous team. The team is different now.”

The New Zealand tour is the first step, and it’s already taking shape. Sanjay captains the young squad for the centenary series, which marks 100 years since India’s first hockey tour to New Zealand in 1926, and a lot of senior players are being rested. “A lot of the senior guys will be given a rest, and we’ll choose a younger squad to go through to New Zealand,” Fulton said. “Then everyone comes together for the Hockey India League, we choose our squad, and we play the Pro League in India in February with the new squad.”

He’s also been clear about what 2027 looks like. There are no major tournaments apart from the Pro League, so Fulton wants as many games as possible, somewhere between 30 and 40, to build combinations and give different players a run. “You work from LA backwards, and we’re looking to get as close to 30-40 games in 2027 because there are no tournaments,” he said. “We need to get back to doing the basics well, reinforce the way we want to play, give opportunities to different players and see if we can put the right combinations together and still get the right outcomes.”

Goalkeeping is part of the rebuild too. With PR Sreejesh retired, Fulton has been working with five goalkeepers over the last 18 months. Suraj Karkera, Krishan Bahadur Pathak and HS Mohith are in the conversation, and Prince Deep Singh and Pawan are being developed as options. “You always need three competing goalkeepers, maybe four. And now we have that,” he said.

Fulton wouldn’t be drawn on speculation about four senior players, including Sumit, Mandeep Singh, Amit Rohidas and Jarmanpreet Singh. But he was blunt about the principle. “It’s not easy to just remove your experience in key positions and expect the next group of players to pick it up exactly where you left off,” he said. “You’re looking at experience and youth together.”

That’s the roadmap, then. Not a clear-out, but a proper transition, with the New Zealand tour as the audition and the February Pro League as the first exam. India have already qualified directly for LA 2028 by winning Asian Games gold. The next two years are about building a team that can do something with that ticket.