Hockey Punjab defeated Hockey Jharkhand 5-3, in quarter-finals
Rajgir, April 9
Day 8 of the 16th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2026 in Rajgir, Bihar, witnessed Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey, Hockey Punjab, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, and Hockey Madhya Pradesh register wins in their respective Division 'A' quarter-final matches at the Rajgir Sports Complex.
According to a release, in the opening game of the day, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey clinched a 2-1 victory against Hockey Chandigarh. Captain Dhiraj Pal (27', 42') scored for the winners, while Jasmeet Singh (59') scored for Hockey Chandigarh.
In the second quarter-final, Hockey Punjab secured a 5-3 win against Hockey Jharkhand in a high-scoring clash. Rajveer Singh (29', 56') scored a brace, while Akash Deep (11'), Sahabajpreet Singh (32'), and Sanmukh Singh (39') also scored for Hockey Punjab. For Hockey Jharkhand, Ashish Tani Purti (15', 19', 56') bagged a hat trick.
The third quarterfinal saw Uttar Pradesh Hockey register a 6-3 win against the Hockey Association of Odisha. Nitish Yadav (49', 51') scored a brace, while Karan Dhanuk (33'), Prahalad Rajbhar (39'), Captain Ketan Kushwaha (42'), and Romit Pal (52') also scored for Uttar Pradesh Hockey. Deepak Prakash Toppo (34', 45', 57') scored a hat-trick for the Hockey Association of Odisha.
In the final game of the day, Hockey Madhya Pradesh and Hockey Haryana played out a 0-0 draw before the former clinched a 4-3 win in the shootout. Karan Gautam, Gazee Khan, Siddharth Ben, and Ronin Ningombam Singh scored in the shootout for Hockey Madhya Pradesh, while Ayush Rajak was exceptional in goal for them, making two crucial saves. For Hockey Haryana, Ashish, Sachin, and Vishwjeet converted in the shootout.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great to see the Sub-Junior championship getting such detailed coverage. The future of Indian hockey looks bright with these young talents. Special mention to Ayush Rajak, the goalkeeper for MP - those shootout saves won them the match!
UP Hockey with a 6-3 win is impressive! But honestly, the organization needs to improve. The article says "release" but where are the highlights for the public? We should be able to watch these games online to support our state teams.
So many hat-tricks and braces in one day! The scoring was incredible. Deepak Prakash Toppo for Odisha and Ashish Tani Purti for Jharkhand were outstanding. Future stars in the making.
Punjab vs Jharkhand was the match of the day, no doubt. 5-3 is a cricket score in hockey! 😄 Good to see the tournament being held in Bihar, promoting sports in all regions.
Heartbreak for Haryana, losing in a shootout after a 0-0 draw. They fought so hard. And a big win for the smaller union territory team, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu! Shows talent is everywhere.
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