Yes, India Has an Ice Hockey Team. On Social Media, it Asks For Help.

It may come as a surprise to know that India has a national ice hockey team, but what isn't really surprising is that the main problem they face is the one confronted by most other sports in the country- a lack of funding.

To participate in an Asia-level tournament in Kuwait later this month, the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) team has taken to social media, to 'beg' for money, seeking to crowdfund their trip.

On Sunday, the IHAI team tweeted this:

It is so tough to push sports like Ice Hockey when cricket takes up all sponsor budgets. We have a national team and are begging for money.

- Ice Hockey India (@icehockeyindia) March 5, 2015

On Twitter, using the hashtag, #SupportIcehockey, the team has been urging supporters to donate anything from Rs 100 up to Rs 1 lakh.

Yesterday, the hashtag started trending nation-wide. At the time of writing this, there are nearly 5,000 tweets around the hashtag since yesterday. Entrepreneur Anand Mahindra took notice:

Yes, looking into it.. "@chikkigarg: Sir pls donate funds to Indian Ice Hockey Team.They are short of to enter the qualifying match."

- anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 5, 2015

The players in the squad have contributed Rs 20,000 each, and they have managed to raise Rs 5 lakhs, with the help of supporters and friends.

They need another 7 lakhs, they said,on, this website to make it to the tournament that begins on April 18.

Big thanks to @BJPLucknowBJP for making the donation towards the Indian National Ice Hockey Team, We greatly appriciate your support!

- Ice Hockey India (@icehockeyindia) April 1, 2015

The Indian ice hockey team -- consisting mostly of army jawans from Ladakh, members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and local students - has been around for six years now.

Hopefully, fund crunch will not melt this team's hopes.