Auckland [New Zealand], June 23 (ANI): India registered a phenomenal title win at the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup New Zealand 2025-26 in Auckland, defeating the hosts 2-0 in a thrilling final.

This spectacular victory earned the team a well-deserved promotion to the next season of the FIH Pro League.

India remained unbeaten throughout their dominant campaign, defeating the USA, Japan and Uruguay in the pool stage; Chile in the semi-finals; and New Zealand in the final.

The title-deciding match saw early goals from Navneet Kaur in the fourth minute and Sunelita Toppo in the 15th, which proved decisive.

Striker Lalremsiami secured the 'Player of the Match' award for her exceptional performance in the final, while drag-flicker Deepika finished as the joint top-scorer of the tournament with six goals. She shared the honours with the USA's Ashley Sessa.

To honour the team's achievement, Hockey India announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff.

Expressing immense satisfaction after the team's victory, chief coach Sjoerd Marijne praised the growth of the squad. 'Of course, we are delighted to win our first tournament and final together. It was crucial for us to learn how to win finals, especially after our recent heartbreak against England at the World Cup qualifier. The team improved with every match. We relied on a very strong and well-organised defence,' he said.

'While we created enough opportunities to score more, that remains an area where we must keep working. Our penalty-corner conversion was very good throughout this tournament. If we can achieve a higher conversion rate for field goals, that will be fantastic. It is never easy to win a tournament when you enter as the highest-ranked team. We showed that we can manage that pressure well. Moving forward, playing against the top teams in the world will provide an important learning process for our youngsters. Testing ourselves at the highest level is exactly what we need to grow to the next tier.'

Captain Salima Tete echoed Marijne's sentiments and highlighted the intense preparation behind the victory. 'It feels absolutely amazing to lift this trophy. Our entire team worked incredibly hard for this moment. We entered this tournament with a clear mindset to bring the trophy home. Securing promotion back to the Pro League was extremely important for us. I am proud that we achieved our goal,' the skipper said.

'With the World Cup approaching, this victory provides a massive boost to our confidence. The team is playing with a very strong mindset right now. Every single match in this tournament was highly important for us. This win gives us the perfect momentum for our future preparations,' Salima concluded. (ANI)