96th All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament to be held from July 10 to 20, 2025

Chennai, July 8, 2025: The 96^th edition of the All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament will be held from July 10 to 20, 2025. This edition features an international team, for the first time in the tournament’s history, from Malaysia.

10 teams, pooled across two Groups, will compete for glory this year. The prize money for the top two teams is ₹7 lakh for the winning team and ₹5 lakh for the runner-up.

There will also be a cash prize of ₹50,000 each for the semi-finalist teams, in addition to a cash prize of ₹10,000 given along with a high-end bicycle each to the best forward, best midfielder, best goalkeeper, the most promising player of the tournament and the man of the match of the finals. Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Egmore, Chennai, will continue to be the venue for the tournament.

TI Cycles of India will present two special awards — ‘Hercules Most Stylish Player of the Tournament’ and ‘Hercules High Performance Player of the Tournament’. The winners will each receive a high-performance bicycle. E.I.D.-Parry (India) Limited will also be giving away two special awards — ‘Parry’s Jaggery Powder Fastest Player of the Tournament’ and ‘Parry’s Millets Strongest Player of the Tournament’. The winners will receive a cash prize of ₹10, 000 each along with a gift hamper.

Plant a Goal – A sustainability initiative by Murugappa Group

As part of this year’s MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament, a special sustainability initiative has been introduced. Under ‘Plant a Goal’, 10 trees will be planted for every goal scored during the tournament. This effort symbolises the Group’s commitment to environmental responsibility, linking the excitement of the game with a long-term ecological impact. Trees will be planted at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium, and at Tharuvaikulam village in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, with the support of the communities in the region.

The School Tournament

The 3^rd MCC-Murugappa TN U-17 Boys Schools Hockey Tournament took place between July 3 and 5, 2025. Indira Gandhi Higher Secondary School, Madurai won the tournament beating Vellore Government Higher Secondary School, Karnambut 3-2 in the final match on Saturday, July 5, 2025. This year’s competition saw three schools from Chennai and five schools from other districts in Tamil Nadu — Mettupalayam, Vellore, Hosur, Madurai and Cuddalore.

Details of the tournament were announced at a press conference held today by Madras Cricket Club (MCC) and Murugappa Group, the two institutions that are organising this tournament. Mr. Vivek Kumar Reddy, President of MCC and Mr. Niranjan Mudaliar, Honorary Secretary of MCC welcomed the gathering. The MCC represented by Mr. S L Rajiv Reddy, Organising Secretary, briefed the press and made the vote of thanks. The Murugappa Group was represented by Mr. Arun Murugappan, Executive Chairman, Tube Investments of India Limited. 

A video on the tournament was released at the press conference, detailing the legacy and the impact of the cup. The video is up on the Murugappa Group’s YouTube channel – https://youtu.be/bGS2E92GmYo

Mr. Arun Murugappan, Executive Chairman, Tube Investments of India said, “The MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup has long been a platform to celebrate and elevate Indian hockey. This year, we mark a new milestone with the participation of an international team from Malaysia — a reflection of the tournament’s expanding reach and reputation. Equally important is our continued focus on grassroots development with the U-17 school tournament, supported by the Tamil Nadu government’s sustained efforts to promote sports. A team promoted by our Group company EID Parry took part in this year’s tournament, reiterating our commitment to encourage sport at all levels. 

We have also introduced a tree-planting initiative in the 96^th edition, where 10 trees will be planted for every goal scored — a step that brings together the values of performance, social responsibility, and long-term impact. 

At the Murugappa Group, we believe in building platforms that inspire young talent, uphold sporting excellence, and contribute meaningfully to the communities and environments we serve.”

Mr. Vivek Kumar Reddy added, “At the Madras Cricket Club, one of our primary missions is to support

sports and sportspeople across India by hosting events and other initiatives. Hockey is a team sport and a part of our national identity. We are proud to host the 96^th edition of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament along with the Murugappa Group, the sole sponsor, for whom we are truly grateful. We wish the participating teams all the best.”­­

The traditional inaugural match of the MCC–Murugappa Hockey tournament will be played between MCC and The Mercara Downs Golf Club, Coorg, on July 9, 2025, at 6.00 p.m. under floodlights.

Mr. Biswaranjan Sarangi will officiate as the Technical Delegate for this year’s tournament and will be assisted by a team of outstation and local officials. 

A total of 10 teams are pooled in 2 groups as follows: 

The winners of the 2024 edition, the Indian Railways Hockey team, will be defending their title. The tournament will be played on a league-cum-knockout basis.  The top 2 teams from each pool will qualify for the semi-finals to be played on July 19, 2025.  The finals will be played on July 20, 2025, under floodlights.

One match will be played under floodlights on all days. The league fixtures are enclosed herewith. The press will be provided with broadband facility at the venue to facilitate sending reports after the last match.