India's Ladakh set for third season of Ice Hockey League, 16 teams to participate across divisions
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "India's Ladakh set for third season of Ice Hockey League, 16 teams to participate across divisions")
India's Ladakh set for third season of Ice Hockey League, 16 teams to participate across divisions Photograph: (Ice Hockey League)
Defending champions Kangs Sing enter Season 3 as the team to beat, having retained their men’s title last year with a dominant 5–2 victory over Changthang Shans in the final.
The Ice Hockey League (IHL) returns to Ladakh for its third season, set to begin on Thursday (Jan 29) and will run through Feb 14 at the Nawang Dorjay Stobdan (NDS) Stadium. Building on months of structured training and community-led preparation, Season 3 marks the league’s most expansive and competitive edition to date, reaffirming its role as a critical platform for the growth of Ice Hockey in the Himalayan region.
Spanning 17 days, the League will feature a complete round-robin format across both men’s and women’s categories, ensuring each team competes against each other. This format underscores the growing competitive depth and consistency of Ice Hockey talent emerging from Ladakh.
Defending champions Kangs Sing enter Season 3 as the team to beat, having retained their men’s title last year with a dominant 5–2 victory over Changthang Shans in the final. The men's champions remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, with captain Mushtaq Ahmed Giri earning the Best Player award in the men’s category. In the women’s category, Padma Chorol emerged as the Best Player.
On the scoring front, Waseem Bilal of Humas Warriors led the men’s scoring charts with 10 goals, while Tsewang Chuskit led the women’s category with 10 goals. Reinforcing the League’s emphasis on sportsmanship, the Fair Play Awards were presented to Humas Warriors (men) and Sham Eagles (women) for their exemplary conduct on the ice.
Opening Day Fixtures
The league will begin on January 29 with Sham Wolves taking on debutants Kharu Falcons in the opening game at 9:00 a.m. This will be followed by a clash between last season’s semi-finalists, Purig Warriors and Humas Warriors, at 11:00 a.m.
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The opening ceremony, scheduled for 12:30 p.m, will mark the formal commencement of the season in the august presence of Mr. Ashish Kundra, IAS, Chief Secretary, Union Territory of Ladakh. Also, Ladakh’s popular band, Dashugs, will perform at the ceremony, setting the tone for a season that blends high-intensity competition with strong local cultural identity.
Post the ceremony, the women’s category will take centre stage as last season’s runners-up Changla Lamos face Sham Eagles, a repeat of their semi-final encounter from the REIHL Season 2. The day will also see men’s defending champions Kangs Sing begin their title defence against last season’s runners-up ChangthangShans, followed by Changla Blasters locking horns with Zanskar Chadar Tamers.
In the women’s category, Kharu Eagles, making their League debut this season, will play their first match against Humas Queens on January 31.
(With Inputs from Agencies)
