Hockey Punjab face defeat, Chandigarh reach quarters
In the ongoing 15th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championship 2025, Hockey Madhya Pradesh secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Hockey Punjab in Jhansi, booking their place in the quarterfinals.
Captain Yousuf Affan (4’) led from the front, scoring the opening goal, while Mohit Karma (18’) and Saddam Ahmed (45’) extended the lead, giving Madhya Pradesh a comfortable advantage after three quarters. Punjab staged a late comeback with Araijeet Singh Hundal (54’) and Gursahibjit Singh (56’) narrowing the deficit, but it wasn’t enough to overturn the result.
With this win, Hockey Madhya Pradesh remains atop Pool A and advances to the knockout stage.
In another Division A clash, Hockey Karnataka triumphed 3-2 over Le Puducherry Hockey in a thrilling encounter. Captain Mohammed Raheel (12’) opened the scoring late in the first quarter, but T Arun Kumar (27’) and P Mahendran (37’) turned the game around for Puducherry. However, Sheshe Gowda BM emerged as the hero, netting a dramatic brace (58’, 60’) — first equalising and then sealing the win at the death.
Meanwhile, Hockey Chandigarh continued their dominant run, securing a quarterfinal berth by winning all their league matches.
