Punjab defeats Uttar Pradesh 4-3 to reach final of Sub Junior Men National Championship

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 6 : Hockey Punjab and Hockey Jharkhand registered victories on Wednesday to cement their place in the Final of the 15th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2025, held at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium.

Hockey Punjab will now face Hockey Jharkhand for the title, while Uttar Pradesh Hockey will meet Hockey Madhya Pradesh in the third-place fixture on Thursday, according to a Hockey India release.

In the first Semi-Final of the day, Hockey Punjab defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey, 4-3. Sukhdev Singh (51', 52') shone with a late brace, after Mandeep Singh (19') and Varinder Singh (28') scored in the first half. Harsh Pratap Singh (9'), Ali Shahrukh (21'), and Captain Ketan Kushwaha (28') were the scorers for Uttar Pradesh Hockey.

In the other Semi-Final, Hockey Jharkhand defeated Hockey Madhya Pradesh, 3-1. Though Love (21') gave Madhya Pradesh the lead, Jharkhand bounced back with goals from Soreng Sumray (29'), Ashish Tani Purti (44') and Jaysan Kandulna (56') to surge into the finals.

Earlier, the Quarter-Finals of the 15th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2025 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai saw Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Jharkhand, and Hockey Madhya Pradesh advance as the final four on Tuesday.

In the first fixture of the day, Uttar Pradesh Hockey secured a 4-1 win over Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey. Ali Shahrukh (6', 23') continued his fine form with a brace, while Rajbhar Prahalad (42') and Mohd. Atif Raynee (58') also got on the scoresheet. Captain Dhiraj Pal (39') pulled one back for Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

In a high-scoring contest, Hockey Punjab edged past the Hockey Association of Odisha 4-3 to book their place in the semifinals. Odisha's Captain Mandeep Kerketta (10', 27', 41') put his side ahead early and went on to complete a hattrick, Captain Arshdeep Singh (14') levelled the scores early for Punjab before Varinder Singh (39'), Anurag Singh (42'), and Sukhdev Singh (58') sealed the victory.

Hockey Jharkhand defeated Hockey Chandigarh 13-0 in an impressive display. Hemrom Tintus (18', 30', 44', 45', 60') led the charge with five goals, supported by Sabian Kiro's hat-trick (1', 22', 37') and Hassa Patras's brace (5', 9'). Ganga Topno (49'), Ashish Tani Purti (53') and Anish Dungdung (57') also found the net. In the final match of the day, Hockey Madhya Pradesh went past Hockey Haryana 2-1 to advance.

Karan Gautam (26') opened the scoring for Madhya Pradesh before Aashir Aadil Khan (33') doubled the advantage. Haryana pulled one back through Sachin (38'), but Madhya Pradesh held firm to close out the win.

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