India began their title defence at the Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 with a 13-0 win over Bangladesh at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Tuesday. The hosts led 6-0 at half-time and added seven more goals after the break in a one-sided opening match. India now face China on Thursday 29 October at 7 pm IST at the same venue, after a rest day on Wednesday, in their second match of the six-team tournament.
Mandeep Singh scored a hat-trick, with goals in the 3rd, 10th and 54th minutes. Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored twice, in the 2nd and 44th minutes, and Dilpreet Singh and Hardik Singh also scored twice each. Dilpreet scored in the 43rd and 44th minutes, while Hardik scored both his goals in the 60th minute. Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek, Nilakanta Sharma and Jugraj Singh scored one goal each to complete the 13-0 scoreline.
Hockey goals come from the second minute
The scoring started early. India earned a penalty corner in the second minute, and Harmanpreet converted it with a drag-flick to open the scoring. A minute later, Mandeep collected a pass from Harmanpreet at the top of the circle and found the net with a reverse hit to double the lead. Bangladesh had a chance in the fourth minute, but Lakra cleared the ball, and India stayed in control from there.
Mandeep scored again in the 10th minute, finishing from close range after Harmanpreet’s aerial ball found Abhishek, who played it into the circle. Lakra added the fourth goal in the 15th minute following a move involving Sukhjeet Singh and Aditya Arjun Lalage. Abhishek made it 5-0 in the 18th minute after receiving a pass from Mandeep on the left and finding space inside the circle. Nilakanta added another in the 26th minute with a reverse-stick shot from the top of the circle, and India went into half-time with a 6-0 lead.
Bangladesh held the ball for longer spells in the third quarter. Dilpreet converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute before scoring again from open play a minute later. Harmanpreet then converted another penalty corner in the 44th minute to take the lead to 9-0. Jugraj converted a penalty corner in the first minute of the final quarter, Mandeep completed his hat-trick in the 54th minute by stretching in to turn from a cross from Aditya, and Hardik scored twice in the 60th minute to finish the scoring at 13-0.
Hockey title defence resumes against China
The evening ended on an emotional note as Nilakanta announced his retirement from international hockey after the match, confirming that the Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 will be his final tournament in the India jersey. He scored India’s sixth goal of the evening in the 26th minute. The side coached by Craig Fulton is without former captain Manpreet Singh, ruled out with a calf injury before the tournament and replaced by Vivek Sagar Prasad, according to Hockey India.
India have won the Asian Champions Trophy five times, in 2011, 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2024, according to Hockey India, with the 2018 title shared with Pakistan after the Muscat final was rained off. The last final, in Hulunbuir in China, was won 1-0 against the hosts with a goal from Jugraj Singh. This year’s event is the ninth edition, and a win would give India a third title in a row. India finished the first day at the top of the standings with three points and a goal difference of plus 13.
The match was preceded by an opening ceremony marking the return of international hockey to Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann unveiled the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 trophy. The ceremony featured Bhangra and Giddha, along with Gatka, the Sikh martial art, a performance by Punjabi singer Ninja, and fireworks.
What the rest of the hockey tournament holds
In the other hockey matches on the opening day, Malaysia beat China 5-4, while Japan defeated South Korea 3-2. That result matters for India because China, beaten by Malaysia on day one, will arrive for Thursday’s match looking for their first points of the tournament. India play Japan on 30 October, Malaysia on 1 November and South Korea on 2 November, all at 7 pm IST in Jalandhar.
The six-team tournament follows a single round-robin format, with each side playing the other five once. The top four teams advance to the semi-finals on 4 November at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali, with the medal matches on 5 November. Entry for spectators is free at both venues, and the matches are shown on Star Sports 2 and streamed on JioHotstar.