A Hundred Years On: India Return to New Zealand for the Centenary Series in Auckland
A hundred years ago, an Indian Army hockey team got on a boat to New Zealand. Major Dhyan Chand was in it. It was the first time any Indian team, in any sport, had toured New Zealand.
Next week, India go back.
The Slumberzone Centenary Hockey Cup brings India and New Zealand together for three matches at Lloyd Elsmore Park in Auckland, on Thursday 19, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November. It’s a proper anniversary series, part of the 2026 India/New Zealand Century of Sporting Unity celebrations, and Hockey New Zealand announced the schedule back in September.
The fixtures
All three games are at Lloyd Elsmore Park in Pakuranga, Auckland:
- Thursday 19 November, 6:30pm local — 10:30am PKT: New Zealand v India
- Saturday 21 November, 4:00pm local — 8:00am PKT: New Zealand v India, followed by a kabaddi exhibition match
- Sunday 22 November, 2:00pm local — 6:00am PKT: New Zealand v India
The early starts on the weekend are the price of a series played on the other side of the world. Worth setting the alarm for, though. This is India’s first hockey trip to New Zealand in a long time, and it’s a young side with something to prove.
TVNZ+ will stream the matches live, with Hindi commentary for Kiwi-Indian fans. Slumberzone, an Auckland bedding company founded by Kiwi-Indian businessman Ranjay Sikka, is the naming sponsor.
A young India, led by Sanjay
Hockey India named a 20-man squad for the tour, and it’s a look at the future. Olympic bronze medallist Sanjay captains the side, and the group mixes emerging under-21 players with the India A core. Craig Fulton is building a new India for the LA 2028 cycle, and this tour is part of that, a chance for the next wave to play senior international hockey away from home.
The tour runs 15 to 23 November, so the squad will have a few days in Auckland to settle before the first game. They’ll need it. November in Auckland is late spring, and the Black Sticks at home are never an easy first assignment.
New Zealand named their own 20 for the series, and they’ll be just as keen. Hosting a centenary series against India, in front of a big Indian community in Auckland, is a big occasion for them too. Lloyd Elsmore should be loud.
Why this one matters
There’s a temptation to file a three-match series in November as a friendly hit-out. Don’t. This is the kind of tour that shapes a group.
India’s young players get three games against a physical, well-drilled New Zealand side, in front of a crowd that will be right behind the hosts. Fulton’s rebuild gets its first real away test. And for the Black Sticks, it’s a home series with a trophy feel to it, the centenary cup on the line in front of their own fans.
The 1926 tour is the reason any of this exists. Dhyan Chand and that Army side opened a sporting relationship between the two countries that has lasted a century. A hundred years later, the two teams meet again in the same city. That’s worth marking properly.
For our money, India start as favourites on paper, but the Black Sticks at Lloyd Elsmore, in a series that means this much to them, won’t roll over. Three games, three early mornings for fans back home, and a good look at where both teams stand heading into the Pro League season.
