Punjab News: Punjab has made a strong mark in the field of international hockey by hosting the Asian Champions Trophy for the first time. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's dream of putting Punjab on the world hockey map appeared to be fulfilled with this event. The Indian team performed brilliantly and won the title in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab-2026 held from 27 October to 5 November 2026. In the final match, India defeated Japan 4-1. This event is being considered a major achievement in the sports history of Punjab.
India won the Asian Champions Trophy for the sixth time
The Indian team remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and won all its seven matches. These included five league matches played in Jalandhar and semi-final and final matches held in Mohali. With this victory, India won the Asian Champions Trophy title for the sixth time. India also completed the title hat-trick by winning this trophy for the third consecutive time after 2023 and 2024.
In the final, Japan took the lead in the third minute with a goal by Kazumasa Matsumoto. Japan was leading 1-0 at half time. However, the Indian players made a brilliant comeback in the second half. Shilanand Lakra scored the equalizing goal in the 42nd minute. After this, Dilpreet Singh in the 47th minute, Jugraj Singh in the 52nd minute and Vivek Sagar Prasad in the 53rd minute scored to give India a 4-1 victory. In the third place match, Malaysia defeated South Korea 5–2.
Harmanpreet Singh and Krishna Bahadur Pathak received awards
Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh was named the best player of the tournament. He also won the highest goalscorer award by scoring a total of 10 goals. His 10th goal in the tournament was the 250th goal of his international career. He also scored a hat-trick in the league match against Malaysia.
Indian goalkeeper Krishna Bahadur Pathak was declared the best goalkeeper of the tournament. He made important saves especially on penalty corners against Malaysia and South Korea and played an important role in the team's victory.
Mohali and Jalandhar showed hosting capacity
The tournament matches were played at Olympian Balbir Singh Senior Hockey Stadium in Mohali and Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar. The stadium in Mohali hosted an international tournament of this level for the first time. Semi-finals, bronze medal match and final were held here. Whereas, all the league matches were played in Jalandhar. India had defeated Bangladesh 13–0 in their opening match in Jalandhar. The 4-2 match against Malaysia was also exciting for the spectators.
Hopes of hosting 2030 Hockey World Cup strong
With this successful event, Punjab's claim to host the 2030 Hockey World Cup has been strengthened. The state demonstrated that it could provide the necessary facilities and arrangements for major international sporting events. Many stalwarts were present in the tournament, from gold medalists of the 1966 Asian Games, 1975 World Cup and 1980 Moscow Olympics to bronze medalists of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The event was not just limited to India's title win, but also became an opportunity to showcase Punjab's hockey heritage and sporting culture to the world. Now the Indian team will also keep its eyes on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.