K Jothikumaran, secretary general, Indian Hockey Federation, said 33 teams had confirmed their entries, but Goa, who are to hold the championship next year, Mizoram and Railways have decided to stay away. The IHF was planning to take stringent action against these teams, he said.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Pune. However, the indifferent attitude of the state association prompted the IHF to shift the venue to Bangalore, he said.

The tournament will also serve as a selection trial for the Indian team scheduled to tour Europe in August.

Groupings

Pool A: BSF, Punjab, Pondicherry, Rajasthan.

Pool B: Bhopal, Bombay, Hyderabad, Himachal Pradesh.

Pool C: Punjab & Sind Bank, Orissa, Chandigarh, MP.

Pool D:Karnataka, Services, Nagaland, Kerala, Maharashtra.

Pool E: Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Bharat, Assam.

Pool F: SAIL, UP, Andhra, Manipur.

Pool G: Bengal, Haryana, Patiala, Vidharba.

Pool H: Air-India, Gujarat, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir.