Indian Hockey Team stars Mandeep-Udita to get hitched: A lifelong ‘match’!

Love is in the air and this time the groom squad as well as team bride are both from the world of Indian hockey! Indian men’s national hockey team forward player Mandeep Singh (30) and women’s team defender Udita Duhan (27) are all set to tie the knot on March 21, in Jalandhar (Punjab).

We’ve got to know their love affair started during the pandemic when their mutual passion for the sport brought them together. “Mandeep, who hails from Punjab first met Udita, whose family is in Haryana, in 2018 at the Indian National Camp in Bengaluru. At first, they were just interacting as colleagues, talking about hockey and getting to know each other’s insights into the game. But as time passed, their friendship deepened,” says a source close to the couple. The friendship soon evolved into something more meaningful as the two faced some unprecedented challenges along with the rest of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was during the lockdown that their connection truly strengthened. Both Mandeep and Udita were stuck at the same camp together, far from their families and the outside world, where they started spending more time together and found the most comfort in each other’s company,” the source continued, “The long hours spent talking and supporting each other through the lonely times of the pandemic brought them even closer. As the lockdown stretched on, they became inseparable, and what began as a friendship turned into something far more beautiful. Now, years later, they’re taking the next step and turning their love story into a new chapter.”

The couple has already celebrated a haldi ceremony amid the presence of their close family and several teammates. Other pre-wedding ceremonies are also underway in Jalandhar.