Published Jul 31, 2026 | 6:07 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 31, 2026 | 6:08 PM
Photo Courtesy: Hockey India
Synopsis: Team India conquered the hockey world in blue. Dhyan Chand wove his artistry that won over the world and Adolf Hitler in blue. That is the colour that Hockey India has now ditched in favour of saffron. Such was the unseemly haste that even Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey didn’t learn of the move. Why, many greats are asking, while ex-Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has laid out a clear reason…
Blue was good enough to win India eight Olympic hockey golds from 1928, when the peerless Dhyan Chand scored 14 goals, to 1980, when V Bhaskaran led the country to glory in Moscow. Blue was good enough for Ajit Pal Singh to lead India to the World Cup in 1975. Blue was good enough for standout players like PR Sreejesh at the recent Olympics too.
But not for Hockey India. Not in 2026. And not when there is an upcoming Men’s and Women’s World Cup from August 15-30.
“It was observed that the blue playing uniform tended to blend/merge with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour of international hockey pitches. This visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for the players.
“In light of the above, the coaches and players suggested alternative colours such as yellow or saffron. After careful consideration, saffron was finalised. Apart from addressing the technical requirement, saffron also holds deep significance as one of the colours of our National Flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice and national pride,” the game’s governing body in India said in a note announcing the saffronisation of national jerseys.
Presenting the new India jersey! ๐ฎ๐ณ
Every stitch tells a story. Every pattern, every colour carries India’s pride.
Our teams are ready to once again do the country proud at the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026.
๐ฅ: Select 2 (SD+HD)+ Khel & JioHotstar
๐๏ธ: Augustโฆ pic.twitter.com/8GvwbByapqโ Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) July 27, 2026
Strangely, only some administrators seemed to be in the know. Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, who had a total of 412 international caps, was among those caught by surprise.
Tirkey shot off two mails, with the second one to Hockey India Director General Commander RK Srivastava outlining five points:
1. The background and rationale for changing the traditional colour of the Indian National Team jersey
2. The authority under which the decision was taken
3. The process followed in arriving at the decision, including the officers, committees or other persons involved
4. Whether any consultation was undertaken with the President, Executive Board, current players, coaches, former international players or other relevant stakeholders
5. And the reasons why neither the President nor the Executive Board was informed or consulted prior to the public announcement
Tirkey said he had shared his concerns at the prompting of the Odisha government, the sponsor of the Indian hockey team.
“My concern is not with the choice of saffron itself. A decision of this significance, involving the identity and representation of our national team, should ideally have been discussed with the elected leadership and the Executive Board members before implementation,” he wrote in his mail.
Hockey India General Secretary Bhola Nath Singh defended the move. “The decision to change the colour was circulated in our internal group, so all officials should be aware of it. We never thought it would be such a big issue. There was no outside pressure on us from anywhere to make the colour change. It is being unnecessarily politicised,” he said.
Multiple reports, though, quoted players in the Indian team as saying that they were not told of the decision.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was among those critical of the saffronisation move.
“Whether they change uniforms or try to rewrite history through education policy, no matter what they do… You have seen what the youth of our country think about this. You heard what the young people gathered at Jantar Mantar were saying. This is the voice of the nation,” the Congress MP said, while underlining what she believed was the futility of the attempt to reporters outside Parliament.
Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, who had supported the national game during his tenure at the state’s helm, expressed his anguish.
“Our blue jersey is to us what the iconic stripes are to Argentina, and the yellow jersey is to Brazil. It is etched in our collective memory. Any change in this colour is a crass attempt to erase our priceless sporting legacy. National symbols are meant to unite us, not divide,” he posted on X.
“I am given to understand that this step was taken under pressure from the BJP Government in Odisha. Those in authority may deny it, but the fact is that for the last two years, everybody in Odisha has seen the obsession of this government with changing colours of buildings, buses and even bridges. It is the only work that is happening in Odisha today. But now the same government has changed the colours of our national team. I strongly condemn this attempt by BJP Odisha to politicise a national game like hockey. It has deeply hurt the sentiments of lakhs of sports lovers across the country and the pride with which Odisha has supported the national hockey,” Naveen had gone on to allege.
Bhaskaran, the last man to lead India to a hockey gold and former coach of the national team, was scathing in his condemnation.
“So, India won two Olympic medals in 2021 and 2024 while suffering from these issues? A fair few teams also play in blue. Argentina and England too have blue jerseys. Do you think they will come out and play in saffron in the Netherlands and Belgium (where the World Cup is being held)?” he asked indignantly.
Ajit Pal Singh and Pargat Singh were the other hockey greats who weighed in.
Ajit Pal Singh found Hockey India’s statement to be “absurd”, while pointing out that blue was the jersey colour India took to the field in before, during and after his time as a player. He also pointed out that India has won two Olympic bronze medals in 2021 and 2024 wearing blue.
“So, what was the need to change now?โ he was reported as asking.
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From being โbackboneโ of school hockey team to president of AICC: Mallikarjun Khargeโs journey
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
