Why India’s hockey teams replaced blue with saffron jerseys

Hockey India has defended its decision to replace the iconic blue jersey with a saffron kit for the Indian men’s and women’s teams at the upcoming 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, saying the change was driven primarily by technical reasons rather than symbolism.

The governing body had unveiled the new jerseys on July 27, confirming that both teams would wear saffron as their primary kit for the World Cup, which begins on August 14 (women) and August 15 (men) in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The move sparked widespread debate on social media, with former India captain Viren Rasquinha questioning the departure from the team’s long-standing blue identity.

“I must say that @TheHockeyIndia has done many good things for… But this is embarrassing. The legacy & identity of the Indian team has always been BLUE. I wore the Blue jersey with pride for many years. Fans want to see our Indian team in blue. What is the logic of orange?,” Rasquinha, who is also the CEO of Olympic Gold Quest, wrote on social media.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Hockey India said the decision followed extensive consultations with players, coaches and support staff, who highlighted visibility issues caused by blue jerseys on the now-standard blue synthetic hockey turf.

“The decision to change the uniform colour was based on recommendations from, and detailed consultations with, the support staff and players. The primary consideration was technical. It was observed that the blue playing uniform tended to blend with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour for international hockey pitches. This visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for the players,” Hockey India said.

The federation said players and coaches proposed yellow and saffron as possible alternatives. Saffron was eventually chosen as it not only improved visibility but also carries significance as one of the colours of the Indian national flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice and national pride.

Hockey India also stressed that changing the national team’s jersey colour was not unprecedented. It pointed out that India wore yellow during the 2014 FIH Hockey World Cup and a redesigned sky-blue kit at the 2018 edition.

“The present change to saffron was implemented after considering both the technical feedback received from the coaches and players and the symbolic value associated with the colour being part of our National Flag,” the statement added.

Hockey India president Dilip Kumar Tirkey echoed the federation’s stance, saying the request for a new primary colour came directly from the players, coaches and support staff.

“I accept that for many years Team India wore blue, and even I played wearing blue. But this change is not the first of its kind. Earlier too, the jersey colour was changed in 2014 and 2018,” Tirkey told ANI.

He explained that the blue jerseys often blended with the blue playing surface during fast-paced matches, making it harder for players to distinguish teammates.

“The hockey turf is blue, and the players’ kit was also blue. Technical visibility during play was affected because of that overlap. That concern was raised by the players and coaches,” he said.

According to Tirkey, yellow and orange (saffron) were the two colours recommended by the squad, with saffron ultimately selected because it is one of the colours of the Indian flag.

“For this World Cup, the orange kit will be the primary jersey and white the secondary kit. If, after the tournament, the players feel another colour would be better, we are open to making changes again,” he added.

The controversy gained further traction after Rasquinha’s social media post questioning the move went viral. On Thursday, the former captain urged people not to politicise his comments.

“I’m seeing many unnecessary political comments on this. I don’t want to get into any of that. My simple & humble point is on pride, identity & legacy. India is to hockey what Argentina is to football. Will we ever see Argentina wearing orange and white stripes as their first jersey?” Rasquinha wrote on X.