Striker V Raja will lead the Indian hockey team in the South Asian Federation Games, commencing in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Friday.

An 18-member team was announced for the meet by the Indian Hockey Federation in Chennai on Thursday.

The team will leave for Colombo on August 19.

Their first match is on August 21, against arch-rivals Pakistan.

The next day, they play hosts Sri Lanka and complete their league engagements with a match against Bangladesh on August 23.

The team:

Goalkeepers: P R Sreejesh and Gurpreet Singh

Defenders: William Xalxo, Raghunath, Muthuselvan

Midfielders: Ajmer Singh, Sunil Ekka, Senthil, Gurbaj Singh, Birender Lakra, Dhanajay Mahadik, Sardar Singh.

Forwards: Sandeep Michael, Vikram Kanth, Roshan Minz, Adam Sinclair, V Raja, Gurvinder Singh Chandi.

Chief coach: Clarence Lobo

Coach: Mohd. Riaz.