DESCRIPTION:
*     Uttarakhand men and Kerala women are the defending champions from the previous edition held in Puducherry.
*     Around 27 teams in each of the men’s and women’s section are set to participate in this championship.
*     Teams have been grouped into two levels: Upper Level 1 and Lower Level 2.
*     Level 1 features the top 10 teams from the previous championship divided into two groups of five teams each.
*     Level 2 features the remaining teams.
*     The tournament is played on a league cum knockout basis.
*     In the league stages, all teams from each group play each other once.
*     The top three Level 1 teams from each of the two groups qualify to the quarterfinals stage.
*     The bottom (i.e. 5th) teams are relegated to the lower Level 1 for next year, while the two fourth placed teams from both the Level 1 groups play pre-quarterfinal games against the top two teams from Level 2.
*     Level 2 features four Groups (C, D, E and F) usually of 4-5 teams each.
*     After the league stages, the top four teams (one from each Group) play qualifying matches in order to attempt to move to the upper Level.
*     The two winning teams after these qualifying matches immediately qualify to the upper Level in the next edition, replaced the two bottom (i.e. 5th placed) teams from the upper Level 1 Groups.
*     These two Level 2 to Level 1 qualifying teams also play another match which in turn allows the winning team to pick their pre-quarterfinal opponent (basically choosing between either the 4th placed team in Level 1 Group A or the 4th placed team in Level 1 Group B).
*     For all the remaining Level 2 teams which didn’t qualify to the knockout stages of the main competition, a separate ‘Loser’s Knockout’ Tournament is held between them in order to give these teams much needed match practice, and a chance for them to test their bench strength.
*     Odisha men had secured ninth position in the finals standings of the previous edition.
*     Odisha men have been clubbed with Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerala and Karnataka in Level-1 (Group-A).
*     Odisha women have been clubbed with Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand in Level-2 (Group-F).