Indian hockey player Manpreet Singh
Bengaluru: Speaking in Bengaluru, Manpreet rejected any suggestion of external or political pressure behind the change. “If you look back, we wore yellow jerseys during the 2014 World Cup and also at the Commonwealth Games. It wasn’t a huge issue; the team management and all the players made a collective decision. Whatever political narrative might be circulating is a separate matter, but the decision didn’t come from the outside,” he told ANI.
The primary reason, he explained, was technical. With international hockey now played on standard blue synthetic turfs and the team already using blue socks, the traditional blue kit created a visual clash that affected clarity and visibility during matches. Switching to saffron/orange eliminates that problem. But Manpreet went further, highlighting the emotional and motivational power of the new colour. “Since the colour is a part of our national flag, the idea was that wearing saffron/orange would be good for us and provide motivation to perform even better.
”The new kits were unveiled ahead of the FIH Men’s and Women’s Hockey World Cups, set to begin on August 14 and 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium respectively. Hockey India has also clarified that the decision followed detailed consultations with players and support staff, with the main priority being on-field performance and visibility. While the change has drawn criticism from some former players and politicians, Manpreet’s stance frames the saffron jersey not as a controversy but as a source of pride and extra drive — a colour from the national flag that the team believes will help them dig deeper and play with greater intensity when it matters most.
