The India vs Malaysia hockey game takes place in the Hero Men’s Asian Champions Trophy at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Sunday, 1 November, at 7 PM IST. Both teams have won their first three matches and both have already booked a place in the semi-finals. The India vs Malaysia hockey game is therefore a contest for top spot in the league stage, with India ahead on goal difference.
India lead the standings with nine points and a goal difference of plus 19. Malaysia are second with nine points and a goal difference of plus 8. Japan are third with six points, South Korea are fourth with three points, and China and Bangladesh are yet to register a point after three defeats each. The India vs Malaysia hockey match will not change semi-final qualification for either side, but it will shape the order at the top and the mood going into the knockout rounds.
India vs Malaysia hockey: how India reached three wins
India opened the India vs Malaysia hockey build-up with a 13-0 win over Bangladesh on 27 October, then beat China 5-2 on 29 October. The third win in the India vs Malaysia hockey build-up came against Japan on Friday, when India won 4-1 in Jalandhar. Abhishek scored twice, in the 11th and 51st minutes, while captain Harmanpreet Singh scored in the 47th minute and Vishnu Kant Singh scored in the 56th minute. Shota Yamada scored for Japan from a penalty stroke in the 15th minute.
Japan started well and earned a penalty corner in the second minute, but India held firm and took the lead through Abhishek after Vivek Sagar Prasad played the ball to Sukhjeet Singh on the left of the circle. Japan levelled from the spot before half-time, then India took control after the break. Harmanpreet converted India’s first penalty corner of the night with a drag flick, and that goal was his fifth of the tournament, with all five coming from penalty corners.
Abhishek was named player of the match against Japan, and the game was his 150th international appearance. He said after the match: “Our strategy in the last quarter was to control the game and press higher. That is how we got the goals. At half-time, coach Craig Fulton told us to create pressure on Japan.” India also made two changes for that game, with Vishnu Kant and Angad Bir Singh coming in while Mandeep Singh and Nilakanta Sharma were rested.
India vs Malaysia hockey: Malaysia form and scorers
Malaysia have matched India win for win so far. They opened with a 5-4 win over China, then beat South Korea 3-1, then beat Bangladesh 6-1 on Friday to book their semi-final place. Against Bangladesh, Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal scored in the 14th and 22nd minutes, Akhimullah Anuar Esook scored in the 29th minute, Azimuddin Syakir Kamaruddin scored in the 32nd minute, Shello Silverius scored in the 33rd minute and Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi scored in the 50th minute.
Malaysia earned 12 penalty corners against Bangladesh and converted four, while Bangladesh converted one of six. Coach Brendon Carolan said after that game: “I think we controlled the game well and took our chances.” India coach Craig Fulton has warned about the threat Malaysia carry in the India vs Malaysia hockey game. Fulton said Malaysia have always been a tricky opponent, even though India beat them 5-1 in the Asian Games final.
Recent meetings back that caution. India beat Malaysia 4-3 at the 2025 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, 4-1 at the 2025 Asia Cup and 8-1 during the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy, according to Khel Now. Malaysia finished as runners-up to India at the Asian Games, and they arrive in Jalandhar as the second-ranked team in the league stage, not as outsiders.
India vs Malaysia hockey: format, schedule and where to watch
The tournament is the ninth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy. Six teams play a single round-robin league, with each team playing the other five once, and the top four qualify for the semi-finals. The league stage is in Jalandhar from 27 October to 2 November, before the action moves to Mohali for the semi-finals on 4 November and the bronze-medal and gold-medal matches on 5 November.
India are the defending champions and the most successful team in the tournament’s history with five titles, in 2011, 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2024. Malaysia will play Japan on Monday after the India vs Malaysia hockey game, while India close the league stage against South Korea on 2 November. The India vs Malaysia hockey match will be telecast on Star Sports Select 2 in India, with live streaming on JioHotstar.