Context:
The 15th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2025 is set to take place from April 4 to April 15 at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
- The tournament will follow the new Division-based format used in the Senior Women National Championship, according to Hockey India.
- The domestic competition which will now also feature promotion and relegation battles, will see the 30 teams participating, divided into three Divisions: Division A, Division B, and Division C.
- Division A is the highest division, with teams competing for the championship title. Division B will have teams competing for promotion to Division A next season while in Division C, the teams will fight for a spot in Division B for the next edition.
- Division A includes the top 12 teams in India based on overall performance, including defending champions Hockey Association of Odisha and runners-up Hockey Haryana.
- In Division B, 10 teams will compete for promotion to Division A.
- The top two teams from Division B will earn promotion to Division A for the next season, while the bottom two will be relegated to Division C.
- 8 teams in Division C will compete for promotion to Division B.
- In Division C, the teams will compete in league matches, and the top two will be promoted to Division B.
- The points system is the same in all divisions: 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Division A will have knockout rounds after the league stage, while Divisions B and C will determine final standings based on pool match points.
