Indian Army arena polo team defeated the US Military's team in a thrilling test match at Lakeside Polo Club in Sacramento, California on October 5. Indian Army registered a 13-10 win on their return to the international arena polo for the first time since 2019.
The Indian team comprised of Lt Col Prithvi Singh, Lt Col Yatinder Kumar, Maj Mrityunjay Singh and Lt Col RK Gautam displayed strong horsemanship against US Military personnel from the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps.
Maj Mrityunjay Singh played through an injury he sustained in the second chukkers and was later substituted by reserve player Lt Col RK Gautam. Not a traditional game for Indian officers, but they showed strong determination and grit to overcome the favourite US military side.
Despite playing an international arena polo match after five years, the Indian officers showed grit and hard work to beat the experienced US officers. The match was evenly played but the Indian officers emerged winners with a three-point lead after four chukkers.
Indian Army team was accompanied by Brijesh Mathur, the Chairman of BMC Advisors as Chef de Mission and Vikramjit Singh Kahlon, VSM as an official of the IPA and the Indian Army. After the match, the US Military team members praised India's performance and their horsemanship in arena polo.
The regular polo game consists of four chukkers of seven and a half minutes each and is played on a 10-acre field. But the Arena polo game is played of 300 feet by 150 feet field, and on uneven surfaces, which makes it a lot harder for players to control the ball.
