Hockey Haryana staged a comeback to defeat Hockey Madhya Pradesh 2-1 in the Division ‘A’ final and lift the title at the 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2026 in Jhansi on Wednesday. Uttar Pradesh Hockey secured third place by beating Hockey Punjab 3-1.
Haryana Rally to Win the Title
Mohammad Zaid Khan put Hockey Madhya Pradesh ahead with a field goal in the 14th minute. Haryana responded in the second quarter when Navraj Singh converted a penalty corner in the 21st minute to level the score at 1-1.
Both teams fought to break the deadlock, but Joginder Singh delivered the decisive goal in the 50th minute by converting a penalty corner to seal Haryana’s 2-1 victory.
Haryana booked their place in the final after defeating Punjab 4-2 in a shootout following a 3-3 draw in the semi-final. Madhya Pradesh secured their final berth by beating Uttar Pradesh 5-3 in the other semi-final.
Uttar Pradesh Claim Third Place
Uttar Pradesh Hockey defeated Hockey Punjab 3-1 in the third-place match to claim the bronze medal.
Akash Pal scored two field goals in the 15th and 21st minutes to give Uttar Pradesh a 2-0 lead at half-time. Punjab fought back when Pawandeep Singh scored a field goal in the 41st minute, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
Chandan Yadav then converted a penalty corner in the 58th minute to secure Uttar Pradesh’s 3-1 victory.
Uttar Pradesh had lost 3-5 to Madhya Pradesh in the semi-final, while Punjab suffered a shootout defeat against Haryana after their semi-final ended in a 3-3 draw.
Haryana Dominate Chandigarh in the Quarter-finals
Earlier in the tournament, Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Chandigarh 5-1 in the quarter-finals.
Manjeet opened the scoring in the 20th minute, and Harpal struck twice in the 26th and 28th minutes to give Haryana a commanding 3-0 lead at half-time.
Pankaj extended Haryana’s advantage with a field goal in the 51st minute. Captain Singh scored Chandigarh’s only goal in the 59th minute, but Shubham restored Haryana’s four-goal lead with a field goal in the final minute.
Punjab Edge Maharashtra in a Shootout
Hockey Punjab overcame Hockey Maharashtra 5-4 in a shootout after both teams finished regulation time at 1-1.
Ujwal Singh gave Punjab the lead by converting a penalty stroke in the seventh minute. Punjab held their advantage until the 49th minute, when Ravi Paresh Bharadia scored from a penalty corner to equalise for Maharashtra.
The shootout produced a tense finish, with Gurjot Singh, Simranjot Singh, Lovenoor Singh, Dilraj Singh and captain Harjeet Singh all converting their attempts for Punjab. Maharashtra scored four times through Dhairyashil Jadhav, Babu Venkati Metkar and Prajwal Moharkar.
Punjab goalkeeper Paras Malhotra played a crucial role by saving Ajinkya Jadhav’s attempt in the third round, helping Punjab secure the 5-4 shootout victory.
Final Standings: Division ‘A’
Champions: Hockey Haryana
Runners-up: Hockey Madhya Pradesh
Third place: Uttar Pradesh Hockey
Haryana’s comeback victory in the final capped an impressive campaign, while Uttar Pradesh secured the bronze medal with a convincing performance in the third-place match.