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TEAM INDIA HOCKEY PLAYER POOVANNA IS A PROBABLE FOR ‘COORG PERSON’ 2025

By Shrividya Somanna P. 

Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka has always breathed the game of hockey. Today, Poovanna CB (in picture) is one of the few carrying it forward at the elite level!

Before medals, before international tours, before the number 55 appeared on his back, Chandura Poovanna B was just another schoolboy running sprints with tyres tied to his waist on dusty grounds in Kodagu. There were no crowds then — only exhaustion, discipline, and a routine that quietly shaped one of Indian hockey’s fastest modern players.

“I didn’t think about making it in the beginning,” Poovanna recalls. “I wanted it, yes. But belief came later.”

That belief arrived nearly six months after he moved to Bengaluru to be trained under SAI (Sports Authority of India) and made his first major camp. The competition was intense, the system imperfect, and the pressure unmistakable. Yet instead of doubt, he felt certainty. “I knew I could do it. I could feel it.”

Born on 05 October 2002 in Kodagu, Poovanna’s hockey education was rooted in repetition rather than recognition. School hockey meant training every single day — runs, steeplechase drills, relentless sprint sessions, and practice matches against stronger opponents whenever time allowed.

“At the time, it felt horrible,” he admits with a smile. “But that’s what built us.” He studied in KALS (Karumbiah’s Academy for Learning and Sports) where ASF (Ashwini’s Sports Foundation) was also in full swing. Poovanna managed to pursue science and make it to sports practice everyday which shows his sheer grit and determination. “Despite tiredness after practice, I made sure to finish my academic work. Sport was all about passion. I loved playing and that’s what pushed me. I was not compelled or forced. I had fun while practicing.”

That early grind has translated into a rare professional advantage today: speed. While many players struggle with high-intensity conditioning at senior levels, Poovanna thrives in it. He now confidently identifies speed as his signature strength — a trait that has helped him transition smoothly from junior success to senior international exposure. What makes him a different player at the international level is the practice on school grounds with the athletic team. He says that endurance workouts and building stamina is what kept him going later on in his international debut.

That mind-set has carried him far. He used to head back home to find his mother collecting small snippets or clippings of Kodava hockey stalwarts like Nikkin Thimmaiah, SK Uthappa, SV Sunil etc. That’s when Poovanna decided that he also wants to be recognised like them. However, coach Ashwath from SAI recognised him in one of the tournaments and said that he should be playing for SAI.

Wearing jersey number 55, Poovanna has built an impressive international résumé in a short span. His achievements include gold medals at the Sultan of Johor Cup 2022 and the Junior Asia Cup 2023, a silver at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2025, and a bronze at the Sultan of Johor Cup 2023. He finished fourth at the Junior World Cup 2023, secured second place at the 4-Nation Tournament in Germany, and emerged a Hockey India League winner in 2024 with the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.

In 2025, Poovanna’s growth has been marked by consistent senior exposure — featuring in India A test series against European Championship teams in Eindhoven, the senior India test series against Australia in Perth, the India A series against China in Hangzhou, and the South Africa Tri-Series 2025. In a casual conversation with yesteryear star, Jude Felix, he recounts how one forgets the purpose of the game as one grows to play in bigger tournaments. “We forget to love the game like we did as children when we used to play for fun. Of course, seriousness is needed but we should have passion to twist the game.”

In an era often chasing shortcuts and early fame, Poovanna C B’s journey is a reminder that elite athletes are still built the old way — through discipline, daily workouts, and belief that arrives only after effort.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Shrividya Somanna P (in picture below) is a post-graduate in English with Communication Studies. She is an International Award winner for Young People and a national-level athlete. She has represented India at the Young Leaders Congress in Liverpool, UK to debate on sports. She works for Culture Alley as an educationist, curriculum developer and content writer while freelancing as a features writer for various online news websites.

To know more about the passion with which people from Kodagu take the game of hockey, follow the link below: