India Dominates Bangladesh 13-0 in Asian Champions Trophy Opener
The Indian mens hockey team secured a stunning 13-0 victory over Bangladesh in the Asian Champions Trophy, marking a strong start to their title defense.
Jalandhar, October 27 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian men’s hockey team kicked off their title defense in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 with an emphatic 13-0 victory over Bangladesh at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on October 27.
Mandeep Singh was the star of the match, netting a hat trick with goals in the 3rd, 10th, and 54th minutes. Captain Harmanpreet Singh and Dilpreet Singh each scored twice, while Hardik Singh also contributed with two goals. Other scorers included Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek, Nilakanta Sharma, and Jugraj Singh, who each added to the tally.
The evening took an emotional turn as Nilakanta announced his retirement from international hockey, making this tournament his final appearance in the Indian jersey.
India started strong, earning a penalty corner just two minutes in. Harmanpreet converted it with a drag flick, opening the scoring. A minute later, Mandeep doubled the lead with a reverse hit following a pass from Harmanpreet. Bangladesh had a chance in the fourth minute, but Lakra cleared the ball effectively.
In the 10th minute, Mandeep struck again, finishing a close-range effort after Abhishek set him up inside the circle. Lakra added the fourth goal in the 15th minute after a brilliant sequence involving Sukjeet Singh and Aditya Arjun Lalage.
The Indian team maintained their aggressive play in the second quarter. Abhishek scored in the 18th minute after receiving a pass from Mandeep, pushing the score to 5-0. Nilakanta then scored with a reverse-stick shot from the top of the circle in the 26th minute. Despite a fantastic save from Bangladesh’s goalkeeper Ashraful Shad, India ended the half with a commanding 6-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Bangladesh enjoyed some possession, but India continued to create opportunities. Dilpreet converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute, followed by another goal from open play a minute later. Harmanpreet added to the score with another penalty corner in the 44th minute, bringing the score to 9-0.
In the final quarter, Jugraj scored from a penalty corner in the first minute, and Mandeep completed his hat trick in the 54th minute, converting a cross from Aditya.
India kept pushing for more goals in the closing moments. After a penalty corner was thwarted by Bangladesh, Hardik scored his first goal in the 60th minute. Moments later, he found the net again, finishing off a move that started with Harmanpreet passing to Dilpreet, who set up Hardik for the goal. The match ended with India triumphing 13-0, celebrated by enthusiastic fans waving the national flag.
In other matches on the opening day, Malaysia edged out China 5-4, while Japan narrowly defeated South Korea 3-2. With three points and a goal difference of +13, India topped the standings after day one.
The tournament features a single round-robin format with six teams, where each team plays against the other five once. The top four teams at the end of the league stage will qualify for the semifinals.
India’s next match is against China on October 29, with a rest day scheduled for October 28. All league matches will take place in Jalandhar until November 2, after which the tournament will move to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali for the semifinals on November 4 and the bronze and gold medal matches on November 5.
