Not often does Udita Duhan get an opportunity to stand still, surrounded by silence and bridled by her thoughts. For now, she is a vital cog in the wheel of Indian hockey. Her calendar stands packed with games, camps, sponsored deals, shoots, and media interactions. Her life’s riding hell for leather on the turf and off it.
However, that wasn’t always the case.
In 2015, Udita’s world had come to an absolute standstill. The air around her house in Hisar hung heavy when she returned from the junior national camp. She was informed that two weeks prior, her father, Jasbir Singh, had passed on. This information was earlier withheld lest it affect her training.
Dealing with a personal loss
“It is difficult to climb out of that pit. You have that sinking feeling. A feeling that all has been taken from you. Everything is over,” Udita remembers.
The bravest are those who stand tall in the face of catastrophe. Geetha Devi, Udita’s mother, now had a task at hand. A homemaker, Geetha’s biggest task then became to ensure each of her three children—two girls and a boy—grew up to become successful human beings.
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“My journey has been how it has been because of my mother. She keeps blessing me, believing in me. And the moment she started believing in me, I started believing in myself. To be honest, after my dad left us, I started working three times more than I used to. I had to play at the senior level. There was no choice. I had to do something for my family. Until 2019, it was only about finding a job for myself. As the eldest child, I had responsibilities. That situation gave me strength. Looking back, I myself find it difficult to believe, but yes, I pulled it off,” the defender says.
From the highs of a fourth-place finish at Tokyo 2020 to the distressing lows of the Indian team not making the Paris Olympics, Udita has seen it all.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
From the highs of a fourth-place finish at Tokyo 2020 to the distressing lows of the Indian team not making the Paris Olympics, Udita has seen it all.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Udita’s determination was gifted with a berth in the senior Indian side two years later. And since then, she has never had to look back. From the highs of an unprecedented fourth-place finish at Tokyo 2020 to the distressing lows of the Indian team not making the Paris Olympics, she has seen it all.
She was also part of the sides that won back-to-back titles at the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy (WACT) in 2023 and 2024. Udita reveals her mantra: “The mindset is main. Especially in sports. Like we knew we won the Asian Champions Trophy the last time. But it was necessary that we believed we could do it again. At one point, you stop seeing the hurdles, and you can only see the finish line.”
Udita is also a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, having stood on the podium in Birmingham in 2022. That hockey is one of the many sports that wouldn’t find a place in the Glasgow 2026 programme saddens the 27-year-old. “I felt bad, obviously, not just for us but also for the upcoming players. It is one of the major tournaments. It is only in tournaments like the CWG, Asian Games, Olympics, Pro League, and World Cup that we get an opportunity to play against European teams. We have been thrashed the most by these nations. So, the more we play, the more we learn. In Asia, we are good. Everybody thinks of playing in the Olympics, but to be there, going through these tournaments is necessary,” she says.
Roar of the Tiger
Udita’s leadership skills came to the fore during the 2016 AHF Cup when she led the India Under-18 team to a bronze medal. That, coupled with how she does not shy away from playing a flexible role on the field of play, may have given enough reason to the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers to appoint her as captain ahead of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Hockey India League. Not just that, Udita became the most expensive player to be sold at the auction, ahead of Paris Olympics’ highest goalscorer Yibbi Jansen, at a whopping ₹32 lakh!
“I didn’t expect this much. My expectations were around ₹15-20 lakh,” says Udita.
A technical snag came up while the bidding process for Udita was in progress, and that had got her momentarily scared into thinking that she would go unsold. She eventually stopped watching the telecast, but her IndianOil teammates, who were on the team van with her after an Inter-Department Nationals fixture, kept updating her. “With each bid, I was getting all the more scared regarding how much the eventual price will be. Never thought I would fetch anywhere near the highest bid. When it happened, I was shocked, and I thought, ‘is it really me?’. They (her IndianOil teammates) were so happy. My mother kept watching the telecast on repeat. Whenever she feels like it, she still plays that video on YouTube.”
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But doesn’t a higher price tag come with higher expectations? “Yes, the expectations do increase. You need to understand your responsibilities as well. If Shrachi is spending so much money on me, I have to show them that they are spending the right money, and you know on the right player. Other than the responsibility, this is a big opportunity for me to showcase my skills as well.”
Just what the doctor ordered
And Udita, thus far in the league, has been right on the money. She has rallied the Tigers, prowled relentlessly at the baseline, and mauled whoever has managed to creep into the circle. She has been at her most menacing while donning the protective gears of a rusher during penalty corners.
She is enjoying her time in Ranchi, where the HIL is happening. She opines, “The best thing about leagues like the HIL is that you get to have new talent coming in through this platform. Otherwise, more often than not, we tend to focus on the national teams. Other players get sidelined automatically. During the Nationals, as a lot of international players feature, much of the focus is on them, and we don’t take a look at the up-and-coming talent who will shape the future of the sport in the country. HIL provides the best stage for domestic talent to shine and make a name for themselves. They will automatically be able to gather interest from spectators, the selectors, and Hockey India.”
The Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium, where the matches are happening, is witnessing a full house almost every day.
| Photo Credit:
Santadeep Dey
The Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium, where the matches are happening, is witnessing a full house almost every day.
| Photo Credit:
Santadeep Dey
Udita says she has noticed a lot of positive changes already since the birth of HIL-W. She says, “The HIL has already done a lot of good. First, the auctions happened, and after that, the WACT happened. A lot of people are watching us now. That tells us that they want to support women’s hockey. It has become a medium through which women’s hockey is reaching new heights. In a franchise league, all Indian players are playing for different teams, and each of those teams will have fan clubs. All of this is for the people. This is the best opportunity for us women to do our best for women’s hockey and bring the crowds to the stadium.”
The Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium, where the matches are happening, is witnessing a full house almost every day. That the entry has been made free by Hockey India, in its efforts to popularise the league, is adding to the buzz.
Udita celebrated her birthday on Tuesday with her side’s first win in the league. After the hooter for full-time was sounded, she stopped briefly to look up at the heavens. She would have loved to believe that her favourite person had just given her the best present.