Rajgir, April 12 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Hockey emerged champions of the 16th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2026 in Rajgir, Bihar after defeating Hockey Madhya Pradesh in the Division ‘A’ Final.

Meanwhile, Hockey Punjab secured the Bronze medal, overcoming Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey in the 3rd/4th place match.

The summit clash saw Uttar Pradesh Hockey put on a commanding display to defeat Hockey Madhya Pradesh 5–2 in an entertaining Final. Uttar Pradesh drew first blood early in the contest through skipper Ketan Kushwaha (4’), who opened the scoring with a field goal.

Hockey Madhya Pradesh responded swiftly as Gazee Khan (8’) struck the equaliser to keep the match evenly poised. However, Uttar Pradesh soon wrested back control, with Nitish Yadav (13’) converting from a penalty corner before Ali Shahrukh (28’) extended the lead with a field goal. Rajbhar Prahlad (35’) and Chauhan Raghvendra Singh (40’) then added to the tally to put Uttar Pradesh firmly in command.

Ayush Singh Lodhi (43’) managed to pull one back for Hockey Madhya Pradesh, but it proved to be only a consolation as Uttar Pradesh sealed a comprehensive 5–2 win.

Uttar Pradesh Hockey’s title-winning run was underlined by an impressive campaign throughout the tournament.

They began with a dominant 17–1 win over Manipur Hockey, followed it up with a 4–0 victory against Hockey Arunachal in the pool stage, then overcame Hockey Odisha 6–3 in the quarter-final.

In the semi-final, Uttar Pradesh Hockey defeated Hockey Punjab 6–2 before producing another clinical performance in the Final to lift the trophy.

Ali Shahrukh finished as their leading scorer and played a key role in their triumphant run.

Earlier in the day, Hockey Punjab edged past Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey 1–0 in the 3rd/4th place match of Division ‘A’ to clinch the Bronze medal. Rajveer Singh (8’) scored the only goal of the match, striking early in the contest to give Punjab the decisive advantage.

Despite a spirited effort from Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey, Punjab held firm to secure a hard-fought victory and finish their campaign on the podium.

–IANS

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