Senior Men’s Hockey Nationals 2026: Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and UP confirm semifinal spots
Paras Malhotra (No. 22, in yellow) was Punjab’s hero in the quarterfinal, saving a penalty in the shootout, guiding his side into the semifinals. | Photo Credit: Hockey India
Paras Malhotra (No. 22, in yellow) was Punjab’s hero in the quarterfinal, saving a penalty in the shootout, guiding his side into the semifinals. | Photo Credit: Hockey India
Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh sailed into the semifinals with comfortable wins while Punjab battled through penalties in Division ‘A’ at the 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2026 in Jhansi on Sunday.
Haryana thrashed Chandigarh 5-1, with Harpal scoring twice, while Manjeet, Pankaj and Shubham netting once each. Chandigarh’s captain Gurjinder Singh had tried to help his team claw back into the contest, scoring in the 59th minute with his team 0-4 down.
But it proved to be too little too late, while Shubham scored the fifth for Haryana to put the competition to bed.
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In the match between Madhya Pradesh and Bengal, the former pulled off a comeback from being 0-2 down to winning the match 5-3, with five different players — Yousuf Affan, Arjun Sharma, Shreyas Dhupe and Mohd Konain Dad — scoring in 18 minutes.
Rohit Kujur was Bengal’s most effective player, scoring the first two goals, while he completed his hat-trick, though in vain, in the final minute.
Uttar Pradesh rode on a brace by Akash Pal, and a goal each from Sumit Kumar and Sharda Nand Tiwari to beat Manipur 4-2. Though Manipur levelled twice in the match – through Suresh Sharma Adhikarimayum and Cyril Lugun — Uttar Pradesh pulled away after the second equaliser to secure a spot in the final four.
Punjab’s match was the tightest of the four, with Ravi Paresh Bharadia equalising for Maharashtra 11 minutes from time after Ujwal Singh’s opening goal. In the shootout, Punjab goalkeeper Paras Malhotra saved Ajinkya Jadhav’s attempt in the third round – one that helped his side take up the last spot in the semifinals.
Senior Men’s Hockey Nationals 2026 quarterfinals results:
- Quarterfinal 1: Haryana 5-1 Chandigarh
- Quarterfinal 2: Punjab 1-1 Maharashtra; Punjab won 5-4 in the shootout
- Quarterfinal 3: Madhya Pradesh 5-3 Bengal
- Quarterfinal 4: Uttar Pradesh 4-2 Manipur
Published on Oct 18, 2026
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