Kerala Stages Stunning Comeback to Defeat Uttarakhand in Senior Mens Hockey Nationals

Jhansi, October 15 (Daily Kiran) : In a thrilling turn of events during the 16th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championship on October 15, 2026, Kerala staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Uttarakhand 6-5 after trailing 1-5. In another match, Odisha crushed Chhattisgarh with an impressive score of 8-1.

In the Pool C match of Division A, Uttar Pradesh Hockey delivered a commanding 5-0 victory over Chandigarh Hockey, while Madhya Pradesh Hockey secured a 4-2 win against Puducherry Hockey.

Uttar Pradesh’s Sharada Nand Tiwari opened the scoring with a penalty corner in the 9th minute. Ajit Yadav followed up with a hat trick, scoring in the 37th, 42nd, and 56th minutes. Mohammed Harris sealed the match with another penalty corner goal in the dying moments.

In Pool B, Puducherry’s captain P. Mahendran gave his team an early lead with a penalty corner in the 27th minute. However, Pratap Lakra equalized for Madhya Pradesh in the 33rd minute with another penalty corner. Arjun Sharma then put Madhya Pradesh ahead with a field goal in the 46th minute, and I.E. Palangappa equalized again with a penalty stroke in the 52nd minute. In the final moments, Madhya Pradesh scored two more goals, with Sharma and captain Yusuf Affan finding the net.

In another Pool D match, Manipur defeated Delhi 5-2. Cyril Lugun scored from a penalty corner in the first minute, but Dheeraj Vats equalized for Delhi shortly after. Manipur took control with goals from Talem Priobarta and Lugun, ending the first quarter with a 3-1 lead. Pradeep added a penalty corner goal for Delhi in the 26th minute, but goals from Vijay Kumar Gond and Thokchom Kingson Singh secured victory for Manipur.

In Pool A, the match between Hockey Punjab and Hockey Bengal ended in a 1-1 draw. Ujjwal Singh scored for Punjab with a penalty stroke in the 9th minute, but Kishore Lakra equalized for Bengal with a field goal in the 58th minute. This marked Bengal’s second consecutive draw after a previous match against Tamil Nadu also ended 1-1.

In another Division B match, Kerala’s hockey team made a stunning comeback to beat Uttarakhand 6-5, while the Hockey Association of Odisha dominated Chhattisgarh 8-1.

In Pool A, Kerala took an early lead with a field goal from Mohammad Kaif in the 5th minute. However, Uttarakhand responded fiercely, scoring five goals in just nine minutes during the third quarter. Vishal Kumar, Mahendra Singh Bisht, and Arpit Kumar Kohli contributed to the score, pushing it to 5-1. Kerala’s Shahaanul Shafas scored in the 44th minute, and then they netted four goals in the last four minutes, with contributions from Viju Teswin, Sandeep Yadav, and S. Akhil.

Meanwhile, in Pool A, Anmol Ekka scored five penalty corner goals, leading Odisha to a 5-0 advantage by the 26th minute. Aryan Jess managed to score for Chhattisgarh in the 42nd minute, but Sudip Chiramako added two more field goals, solidifying Odisha’s perfect record in the tournament with four wins and a total of 45 goals scored.

In another Pool B match, Jharkhand Hockey defeated Dadar and Nagar Haveli, as well as Daman and Diu Hockey, 2-0. Joseph Kongari scored the first goal in the 41st minute, followed by Joseph Topno’s penalty corner goal in the 53rd minute.

In a closely contested match, Goa’s hockey team fell to Telangana Hockey 2-3. Arjun Yadav’s field goal gave Telangana the lead, but Goa equalized with a goal from H. Trishul Ganapati. Telangana’s R. Aiyappa leveled the score again with a penalty stroke before captain Shiva Kumar Shivangi scored the winning goal from a penalty corner in the 58th minute.

RSG