Exciting Start to 16th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2026

Day One Highlights from Rajgir

The inaugural day of Division 'A' at the 16th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2026 took place in Rajgir, Bihar, featuring teams from Hockey Punjab, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, and Hockey Jharkhand. In Division 'B', Hockey Bengal and Hockey Arunachal also celebrated victories at the Rajgir Sports Complex on Sunday.

In Pool A of Division A, Hockey Punjab triumphed over Hockey Maharashtra with a score of 2-0, thanks to goals from Sangat Singh (10') and Akash Deep (53').

Uttar Pradesh Hockey showcased an impressive performance in Pool C, defeating Manipur Hockey 17-1. Shahrukh Ali was the standout player, netting 11 goals (5', 22', 23', 24', 29', 33', 35', 36', 49', 49', 59'), while Nitish Yadav contributed with two goals (3', 18'). Captain Kushwaha Ketan (6') and Karan Dhanak (17') also scored, with Maibam Manimatum (14') providing the sole goal for Manipur.

In Pool D, Hockey Madhya Pradesh dominated Kerala Hockey with a 10-1 victory. Raiyan Ul Haq scored a hat-trick (5', 34', 36'), and several teammates added to the scoreline, including Gazee Khan (49', 55'), Captain Ansh Bahutra (15'), Ayush Singh Lodhi (25'), Karan Gautam (37'), Deepak Singh (45'), and Devraj Prajapat (52').

Hockey Jharkhand secured a narrow 1-0 win against Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu Hockey in Pool B, with Ashish Tani Purti scoring the decisive goal in the 22nd minute.

In Division B's Pool A, Hockey Bengal achieved a staggering 18-0 victory over Hockey Gujarat. Munna Kumar Singh was prolific, scoring six goals (5', 27', 37', 49', 50', 55'), while Sujal Turi (28', 32', 42') and Sujal Balmiki (57', 59', 60') each netted hat-tricks. Risav Ray (17', 24') and Ratan Bind (24', 29') added braces, with Captain Riju Bar (28') and Abhishek Thakur (47') also contributing to the score.

In Pool B of Division B, Hockey Arunachal edged out Chhattisgarh Hockey with a 5-3 win. Rajbhar Shubham (25', 33', 38'), Ashwani Patel (15'), and Mohit Yadav (49') scored for the victors, while Om Kumar Yadav (27', 40') and Gopal Paikra (55') found the net for Chhattisgarh.