India’s men’s hockey team begin a new chapter today as they take on Spain in the FIH Pro League overseas leg at the Tasmania Hockey Centre in Hobart. Coming off a difficult run at home, where defeats against Argentina and Belgium exposed gaps in structure and finishing, the visitors will be keen to respond strongly under newly appointed skipper Hardik Singh. With regular captain Harmanpreet Singh unavailable due to a personal break, the spotlight shifts to Hardik’s leadership and the energy of several young faces in the squad.

FIH Pro League 2026: India vs Spain head-to-head (last 10 matches)

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  Total matches: 10
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  India won: 4
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  Spain won: 4
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  Draw: 2

FIH Pro League 2026: India vs Spain full squads

India squad for FIH Pro League 2026: Suraj Karkera, Pawan, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Sumit, Sanjay, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Amandeep Lakra, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, Rajinder Singh, Manmeet Singh, Rosan Kujur, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Selvam Karthi, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Aditya Arjun Lalage

Spain squad for FIH Pro League 2026: Abajo Ignacio, Alonso Alejandro, Alvarez Nicolas, Amat Pere, Avila Bruno, Basterra Jose, Bonastre Jordi, Bozal Aleix, Bozal Oriol, Cabre Verdiell Pol, Calzado Luis, Clapes Gerard, Cobos Ignacio, Corominas Guiu, Cunill Pau, Cunill Pepe, Curiel Cesar, De Ignacio-Simo Eduard, Font Bruno, Fortuno Guillermo, Gispert Xavier, Lacalle Borja, Medina Andres, Menini Joaquin, Miralles Enric, Miralles Marc, Monterrubio Pablo, Petchame Pau, Portugal Alvaro, Quijano Gonzalo, Rafi Adrian, Rafi Andreas, Recasens Marc, Revilla Rafael, Reyne Marc, Rodriguez Manuel, Roman Pablo, Vilallonga Rafael, Vizcaino Marc, Zaldua Inaky

FIH Pro League 2026: India vs Spain live streaming and telecast details

When will the India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 be played?

The India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 will be played on Saturday, February 21.

What will be the venue for the India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026?

The India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 will be played at Tasmania Hockey Centre in Hobart.

What time will the India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 begin?

The India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 will kick off at 12 PM IST.

Where to watch the live telecast of the India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 in India?

The live telecast of the India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 will be available on Star Sports Network in India.

Where to watch the live streaming of the India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 in India?

The live streaming of the India vs Spain match in the FIH Pro League 2026 will be available on the JioHotstar app and website in India.

International commitments over the winter months have interrupted pre-season preparations and that was a common message from coaches as some teams coped better than others on the big stage.

In front of packed stands at one of the UK’s largest indoor arenas, Birmingham Panthers and Manchester Thunder both lost three from three.

“It’s been a tough day,” said Thunder coach Karen Greig, whose side lost their three games heavily to make an early exit.

Thunder will face NSL champions Pulse in the league’s opening match, with more than 5,000 tickets sold for that Copper Box encounter.

Greig has brought England goal shooter El Cardwell back to England after a successful stint in Australia while Thunder also have fellow Roses star Nat Metcalf back after she missed last season when pregnant and looking after baby son Miller.

But it was to no avail at the Super Cup.

“Today was about us understanding where we were actually at,” Greig said.

“The performances and the connections on the court definitely highlighted that.

“The quality that we’ve got in our group is undeniable and it’s about us now making sure we get everyone on the same page and connected.”

There was no such problem for Lightning while Pulse took consolation from being a whisker away from another major title.

As Pulse coach Sam Bird said: “I’m not too worried. I’m disappointed because I like winning everything available but I think we take a lot of positives from the day. It’s a nice rivalry to continue with.”

Joe Pride has put to rest doubts surrounding Attica’s subdued barrier trial efforts, firm in the belief that they reveal the three-year-old’s easy temperament over any preparation shortcomings.

In his two latest hit-outs, jockey Adam Hyeronimus has prodded the colt forward, a pattern Pride attributes squarely to Attica’s disposition.

“There has been a bit said about the trial, but he is the most laidback horse in my stable,” Pride said.

“You’re flat-out getting him to walk sometimes.

“He is just so casual and when he gets the blinkers on, he is a different horse so he will have them on first-up.”

That leisurely vibe shone through last spring as Attica eked out a maiden victory at Warwick Farm, suffered defeat at Kembla Grange, then dominated consecutively in the Dulcify Stakes and Spring Champion Stakes with blinkers applied.

Pride is keen for the Godolphin-owned Lonhro progeny of star mare Savatiano – a future stallion standout – to burst from the gates, declaring him set to strike in Saturday’s Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill.

“He is absolutely primed. I’m so happy with him,” he said.

“There is no mucking around with colts. They’ve got to be ready to go right from the start of the ‘prep’ and he is ready to go.

“He’s got the Randwick Guineas second-up and that is one of his big aims.”

Acceptances for the Hobartville Stakes (1400m) total 10, incorporating Shangri La Boy from the Spring Champion Stakes, Autumn Boy of Caulfield Guineas fame, and up-and-comer Green Spaces.

The colt Attica faces the widest alley, with Autumn Boy also awkwardly placed in stall eight.

Ten juveniles headline the Silver Slipper, spearheaded by Hidrix as equal Golden Slipper elect and Incognito, Breeders’ Plate winner aiming to resurrect his preparation post a likely palate setback on resuming.

Visit premier betting sites to check Hobartville Stakes betting markets.

The NCAA Tournament selection committee offered an early “preview” of the top 16 seeds for the Big Dance on Saturday. Though the picture will immediately begin to change as new results roll in, the exercise provided some interesting fodder for college basketball fans to digest.

Among the biggest takeaways from the bracket preview was just how stacked the Midwest was. Again, this will all shift before Selection Sunday on March 15, but it was shocking to see a single region containing No. 1 overall seed Michigan, No. 6 overall seed Houston and No. 9 overall seed Florida.

Michigan earns No. 1 overall seed, Iowa State a big winner from NCAA Tournament bracket preview

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David Cobb

The sight underscored the challenges the selection committee faces while adhering to NCAA bracketing principles in the era of conference consolidation.

All three rate as top-6 teams at KenPom, and our expert panel unanimously projected that the Cougars would be a No. 1 seed in the bracket preview. Three members of our six-person panel also had Florida as a No. 2 seed.

Not only was Houston not a No. 1 seed, it also was not the first No. 2 seed in the bracket preview. That distinction belonged to UConn. Subsequently, official bracketing principles led the committee down a path that resulted in a stacked Midwest Regional.

Official NCAA Tournament early seeds 

Check out the full field of 68 at the CBS Sports Bracketology hub.

Let’s dive in on how the selection committee likely arrived there as they met to rehearse the process that will eventually lead to the creation of the real 68-team bracket. Here are two major need-to-knows that will set the table: 

—The committee seeks to separate the first four teams from the same conference into different regions, which is why No. 2 seeds Purdue and Illinois weren’t placed with Michigan in the Midwest.
—Since UConn slotted as the best-ranked No. 2 seed, the Huskies would not have been permitted to play in the same region as the best-ranked No. 1 seed.

As a result, the committee likely determined — with the help of its software that flags those issues — that sending Houston to the Midwest was unavoidable.

What about Florida?

Once the committee started bracketing the No. 3 seeds, it naturally placed the best-ranked No. 3 seed (Florida) in the same region as the No. 1 overall seed (Michigan) in order to follow the established “s-curve” format.

No official “flags” would have appeared for that decision since Florida (SEC), Houston (Big 12) and Michigan (Big Ten) each play in different conferences. Moving on, the second No. 3 seed, Kansas (Big 12), would have slotted in to the East region below Duke (ACC) and Illinois (Big Ten) with no conference separation issues.

Fellow No. 3 seed Nebraska (Big Ten) would naturally have gone to the West. But since Purdue (Big Ten) was already there on the No. 2 seed line, it seems the Cornhuskers were deemed a better fit for the South alongside Iowa State (Big 12) and UConn (Big East).

This is likely why Gonzaga ended up in the West, despite the fact that the s-curve would have sent the Bulldogs to the South as the worst-ranked No. 3 seed.

Inside the committee room: What it’s like to pick, seed and build the NCAA Tournament bracket

Matt Norlander

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When it came to bracketing the No. 4 seeds, there was already a Big Ten team and a Big 12 team in every region, which meant there was no choice but to place Michigan State and Texas Tech in regions with conference foes.

With the Big Ten and Big 12 well-positioned to claim a hefty chunk of the best seeds in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, these are the real issues the selection committee will likely navigate. The leagues combined to produce 10 of the 16 squads in the bracket preview.

Pursuing balance

While the preview’s Midwest is obviously stacked, the potential competitive imbalance was technically slender enough that it passed NCAA protocols. Here’s what the committee’s official principles state:

“After the top four seed lines have been assigned, the committee will review the relative strengths of the regions by adding the “true seed” numbers in each region to determine if any severe numerical imbalance exists. Preferably, no more than six points should separate the lowest and highest total.”

If you tally the “true” seeds of the top four teams from the “toughest” region (Midwest), you get Michigan (1) + Houston (6) + Florida (9) + Virginia (16) = 32.

If you tally the “true” seeds of the top four teams from the “weakest” region (West), you get Arizona (3) + Purdue (8) + Gonzaga (12) + Michigan State (14) = 37.

That falls within a range of six points, which means it met the committee’s threshold for what is considered balance. 

Selection committee chair Keith Gill revealed during the bracket preview that the committee initially placed No. 14 overall seed Michigan State in the Midwest and Virginia in the West. That would have triggered a flag notifying the committee about competitive imbalance.  In that scenario, the difference between the cumulative true seed values of the top four teams in the Midwest and West was greater than six. Thus it led to a swap of Virginia and Michigan State.

Down the bracket

If you thought that was complicated, it was only the start. 

Amid conference consolidation and the proliferation of nonconference matchups between high-major schools, the committee will face additional challenges in avoiding regular season rematches as it brackets a full field in the weeks ahead.

While the committee will still be strident in avoiding first round rematches, some second round rematches may be unavoidable. That’s why the CBS Sports Bracketology model occasionally produces second round rematches between teams that have already played.

How more marquee matchups in college basketball will impact NCAA Tournament bracketing process, seeding

David Cobb

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When multiple teams on a seed line are from the same conference, there are times when the only alternative to avoiding a potential conference rematch is to create a potential nonconference rematch.

NCAA bracketing principles permit games between conference teams in the second round, so long as the teams in question played each other just once before the NCAA Tournament. For conference teams that met twice prior to the NCAA Tournament, principles state they should not meet prior to the Sweet 16. If the teams played three times, bracketing principles state they should not play before the Elite Eight.

With regard to rematches of nonconference games, principles state that they should be avoided “in the First Four and first round.” The committee will also “attempt to avoid” nonconference rematches in the second round. But the committee prioritizes keeping teams on their natural seed line over changing their seed line for the sake of avoiding a rematch. 

The United States has made Olympic history.

Americans took home their 11th gold medal Saturday, setting a new record for the country’s most golds in Winter Olympics history.

The record-setting medal was won by the mixed aerials team of Chris Lillis, Connor Curran and Kaila Kuhn.

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Team USA sings the national anthem with the gold medal at the winners ceremony after the women’s ice hockey gold medal game between the U.S. and Canada at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games Feb. 19, 2026, in Milan, Italy.  (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)

The previous record had been 10 during the 2002 Games on home soil in Salt Lake City.

Individual gold winners include the aforementioned Stolz, Breezy Johnson (alpine skiing, women’s downhill), Elizabeth Lawley (freestyle skiing, women’s moguls), Elana Meyers Taylor (women’s monobob), Mikaela Shiffrin (alpine skiing, women’s slalom), Alex Ferreira (men’s freestyle halfpipe skiing), and Alysa Liu, who won the U.S.’s first gold in women’s singles figure skating since 2002.

Megan Keller (5) celebrates with a flag alongside Cayla Barnes (3) of Team United States after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime during the women’s gold medal match against Canada at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 19, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

TEAM USA TO BATTLE CANADA FOR OLYMPIC GOLD AFTER DOMINANT PERFORMANCE AGAINST SLOVAKIA

Overall victories include three in freestyle skiing, two in speedskating (both by Jordan Stolz), alpine skiing and figure skating and one each in bobsled and women’s ice hockey from an exhilarating comeback and overtime victory against archrival Canada.

The Americans have totaled 31 medals, including 12 silver and eight bronze, and there are a few more opportunities before the Games end Sunday.

The men’s hockey team will play for gold against Canada on the final day of the games, which is also the 46th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice.”

Gold medalist Jordan Stolz of the U.S. celebrates after the men’s 500-meter speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 14, 2026. (Ben Curtis/AP Photo)

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Before the hockey game, the U.S. can also medal in mixed four-man bobsled, women’s 50-kilometer cross-country skiing and women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing.

Norway leads with 40 medals and 18 golds.

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The No. 1 seeds in Saturday’s NCAA March Madness Bracket preview were Michigan, Duke, Arizona and Iowa State. While the first three were largely expected, Iowa State’s inclusion on the top line was anything but a foregone conclusion.

Ultimately, the Cyclones (23-3, 10-3 Big 12) got the nod over UConn and Houston from the NCAA Tournament selection committee ahead of their Saturday trip to play BYU. UConn landed as the top No. 2 seed, despite its unseemly home loss to Creighton on Wednesday. Houston claimed the second No. 2 seed while Illinois and Purdue rounded out the No. 2 seed line.

With just over three weeks to go until Selection Sunday, the picture will change and evolve over the days ahead. In fact, Saturday’s results will almost assuredly impact the picture. But the bracket preview, which covers the top 16 teams, offers an idea of how things are shaping up as the regular season nears its end.

A whopping 10 teams from the Big Ten and Big 12 — five from each league — made the top 16. The ACC and SEC each produced two representatives, while the Big East and WCC each had one team make the top 16.

Here is the full rundown of the top 16 from the bracket preview followed by the big takeaways.

Official NCAA Tournament early seeds 

Check out the full field of 68 at the CBS Sports Bracketology hub.

Iowa State as a No. 1 seed

A theme in the race for the fourth No. 1 seed in the bracket was high-end victories. Iowa State boasts wins over No. 17 St. John’s, No. 8 Kansas and No. 2 Houston. The Cyclones suffered unflattering road losses against Cincinnati and TCU, but those are classified as Quad 1 defeats and the committee didn’t seem bothered by them. 

While our expert panelists believed the nod for the final No. 1 seed should have gone to Houston, which rates slightly better than ISU in both the results-based and predictive metrics that appear on official NCAA team sheets, the Cougars don’t have the same sort of blockbuster wins as Iowa State. Their losses were all in close games against elite opposition (Tennessee, Texas Tech and Iowa State). But again, who you beat seems to be far more important than who beat you.

In fact, committee chair Keith Gill pointed directly to the quality of Iowa State’s best wins — including its head-to-head victory over Houston — in rationalizing the Cyclones as a No. 1 seed.

The “big-time win” methodology also explained why UConn edged Houston for the top spot on the No. 2 seed line. Despite their ugly fall against Creighton this week, the Huskies boast victories over No. 10 Illinois, No. 8 Kansas and No. 12 Florida, which is an impressive haul of high-end wins.

Texas Tech takes a hit

Texas Tech landed as a No. 4 seed in the bracket preview. However, Gill shared that the Red Raiders were in line for a No. 3 seed before it was revealed that star forward JT Toppin suffered a season-ending ACL tear. 

The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year suffered the injury in the Red Raiders’ loss at Arizona State on Tuesday. Saturday’s home game against Kansas State will be the first post-Toppin data point for the committee to digest. Depending on how the before/after comparison of life without Toppin goes, it stands to reason that the Red Raiders could get hit even harder on Selection Sunday.

A stacked Midwest

Though it will almost certainly unfold differently on Selection Sunday, the sight of a stacked Midwest region in the bracket preview was jarring. It also underscored the challenge the selection committee faces in adhering to stringent bracketing principles at a time when the majority of at-large bids are going to teams from a small handful of conferences.

If this were the real bracket, fans of Michigan, Houston and Florida would understandably be disgruntled to see such tough competition standing in their path to a Final Four. But the composition of the preview’s top 16 technically met the the committee’s threshold for competitive balance. More on that here.

Bracketology: 2026 NCAA Tournament committee faces challenges with Michigan, Houston, Florida in same region

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David Cobb