Mandeep Singh scored a hat-trick, while Harmanpreet Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Hardik Singh netted twice each as the Indian men’s hockey team launched their title defence at the Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 with a commanding 13-0 victory over Bangladesh at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Tuesday.

Mandeep completed his hat-trick in the 3rd, 10th and 54th minutes. Captain Harmanpreet (2′, 44′), Dilpreet (43′, 44′) and Hardik (60′, 60′) scored two goals each. Shilanand Lakra (15′), Abhishek (18′), Nilakanta Sharma (26′) and Jugraj Singh (46′) also found the net for India.

The evening took an emotional turn when Nilakanta announced his retirement from international hockey, confirming that the tournament would mark his final appearance in the Indian jersey.

India made an aggressive start and earned a penalty corner in the second minute. Captain Harmanpreet converted it with a powerful drag-flick to open the scoring. A minute later, Mandeep collected Harmanpreet’s pass at the top of the circle and fired a reverse-hit into the net to double India’s lead. Bangladesh threatened in the fourth minute, but Lakra cleared the ball to deny them a scoring opportunity.

Mandeep struck again in the 10th minute, finishing from close range after Harmanpreet’s aerial pass reached Abhishek, who then directed the ball into the circle. Lakra added India’s fourth goal in the 15th minute after a well-worked move involving Sukhjeet Singh and Aditya Arjun Lalage.

India maintained their attacking momentum in the second quarter. Abhishek made it 5-0 in the 18th minute after receiving Mandeep’s pass on the left, creating space inside the circle and finding the net. Nilakanta extended the lead in the 26th minute with a reverse-stick shot from the top of the circle.

Bangladesh goalkeeper Ashraful Shad produced an excellent save to deny Nilakanta earlier in the quarter. However, India carried a comfortable 6-0 lead into half-time.

Bangladesh held possession for longer periods in the third quarter, but India continued to create scoring opportunities. Dilpreet converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute and scored again from open play a minute later. Harmanpreet then converted another penalty corner in the 44th minute to extend India’s lead to 9-0.

India continued their scoring spree in the final quarter. Jugraj converted a penalty corner in the 46th minute to make it 10-0. Mandeep completed his hat-trick in the 54th minute, stretching to redirect Aditya’s cross into the net.

India kept pressing for more goals in the closing stages. Hardik scored in the 60th minute after Bangladesh blocked an initial penalty-corner attempt. Moments later, he struck again to complete India’s 13-0 rout. The move began with Harmanpreet passing to Dilpreet, who laid the ball off for Hardik to guide it into the net. Indian supporters celebrated the emphatic victory by waving the national tricolour in the stands.

Earlier, a glittering opening ceremony marked the return of international hockey to Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann unveiled the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 trophy.

Bhola Nath Singh, Vice President of the Asian Hockey Federation and Secretary General of Hockey India, and Nitin Kohli, President of Hockey Punjab and Associate Vice President of Hockey India, felicitated him at the ceremony.

The celebrations featured traditional Punjabi dance forms, including Bhangra and Giddha, alongside performances by Gatka exponents showcasing the Sikh martial art. Punjabi singer Ninja also entertained the crowd, while a musical performance and fireworks added to the festivities as Jalandhar welcomed Asia’s leading hockey teams.

In the other opening-day matches, Malaysia edged China 5-4, while Japan defeated South Korea 3-2. India topped the standings after the first day with three points and a goal difference of +13.

The six-team tournament follows a single round-robin format, with every team facing the other five sides once. The top four teams at the end of the league stage will advance to the semi-finals.

India will next take on China on October 29 at 7 pm IST. The tournament schedule includes a rest day on October 28. Jalandhar will host all league matches until November 2, after which the competition will move to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali.

The venue will host the semi-finals on November 4, followed by the bronze-medal and gold-medal matches on November 5.