The atmosphere at the Sector-42 stadium was nothing short of electrifying with dhol beats and bhangra performances marking the opening ceremony.

“It is a special feeling to see top-rated hockey players in action in Chandigarh. Even though Germany and Holland are fielding young teams, it is a treat to watch players like Taeke Taekema and Max Muller besides the Indian players,” said Kanwaljeet Singh, a junior hockey player from Jalandhar.

After the postponement of the Premier Hockey League, the fans finally got a chance to cheer for the hosts.

“A lot of Indian players belong to the region. Rajpal, Deepak, Baljeet and Sandeep have played here most of the time. I had come to watch the PHL also and hope this tournament becomes an annual feature,” said Ankit Sharma, a bank employee.

For nearly 1,500 school children, however, the fun part was subdued due to inadequate arrangements.

“There was no arrangement of food and water for us. We had to shell out money from our pockets to buy food and water. Last time also when we came to watch the Test Match, we were treated in the same manner,” said a student Rajkanwal.