With hockey absent from the Commonwealth Games 2026 programme in Glasgow (see our explainer on why), it’s a fitting time to look back at some of India’s most memorable moments in the sport at previous editions. Hockey has been part of the Commonwealth Games since 1998, and India’s teams have been consistent competitors across the men’s and women’s tournaments ever since.
India’s men’s team has featured on the podium at multiple editions over the years, including a bronze-medal finish at Birmingham 2022 — read the full story in our India men’s hockey team piece — while the women’s team has steadily built its competitive standing since making its Commonwealth debut, detailed in India women’s hockey team’s Commonwealth Games journey. Classic rivalries against Australia and England, covered in our India vs Australia hockey retrospective and our India vs England hockey retrospective, helped make hockey one of the most closely followed team sports among Indian fans at the Games.
Hockey will not return to the Commonwealth Games until at least 2030, when India is set to host the event in Ahmedabad, giving both the men’s and women’s teams a chance to add new chapters to this history on home soil.