IPOH, Malaysia: Seven hockey nations from around the world are set to participate in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2016, which will start here on Wednesday.
The competition dates back to 1983, but the tournament became an annual event only after 2005.
The 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will witness India, Pakistan, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan battling it out for the prestigious title.
India, Canada, New Zealand and Australia have already qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics and they will use this tournament as practice ahead of the mega event in August.
Other teams such as Malaysia, Pakistan and Japan will want to show that they belong to the elite group, playing some brilliant hockey and giving it their all to win the title. Pakistan are one of the most talented sides in world hockey, and Malaysia, at home, are always a dangerous unit. Hence, a brilliant competition is expected to take shape for the next 10 days.
Though India have won the title five times but they have their task cut out with teams like Australia and New Zealand as serious contenders for the title this year.
Australia, ranked number one in the world, have some top class players, and will be the team to beat in the competition.
India, ranked seventh, can win the title but they need to come up with an improved performance to clinch their sixth Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
New Zealand, ranked eighth, are going to make life tough for other teams in the competition. They defeated Australia last year to clinch the title, and will be looking for a similar performance this time around as well.
Other teams such as Pakistan will have a thing or two to prove in the competition, after failing to qualify for the Olympics. Malaysia will be brilliantly supported by the home crowd, who love the sport. Japan remains to be the lowest-ranked team (16) in the competition, but they will also be keen to create some upset in the competition, winning a few matches.
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