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Hockey Haryana came from behind to defeat Hockey Madhya Pradesh 2-1 in Jhansi on Wednesday, October 21, and win the Division A title at the 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2026. Madhya Pradesh took an early lead, but Haryana scored once in each of the second and final quarters to complete the comeback and claim the national championship.
Mohammad Zaid Khan put Madhya Pradesh ahead with a field goal in the 14th minute. Navraj Singh equalised for Haryana from a penalty corner in the 21st minute, and Joginder Singh converted another penalty corner in the 50th minute to decide the final. The result made Haryana champions, with Madhya Pradesh finishing runners-up.
Madhya Pradesh struck first through Zaid Khan’s field goal in the 14th minute, giving the team an advantage as the opening quarter drew to a close. Haryana responded seven minutes later, when Navraj Singh scored from a penalty corner to level the match at 1-1.
The teams remained locked at that score until the 50th minute. Joginder Singh then converted a penalty corner to put Haryana in front, and the goal proved decisive as the team held on to secure the Division A crown. Hockey India’s official match report confirmed the final score as 2-1.
The win completed a strong knockout run for Haryana. In the semifinal, the side had drawn 3-3 with Hockey Punjab before winning the shootout 4-2. Madhya Pradesh reached the final by beating Uttar Pradesh Hockey 5-3 in the other semifinal, setting up a title match between two teams that had come through high-scoring knockout contests.
Uttar Pradesh Hockey finished third after defeating Hockey Punjab 3-1 in the bronze-medal match on the same day. Akash Pal scored two field goals in the 15th and 21st minutes to give Uttar Pradesh a 2-0 lead at half-time.
Punjab reduced the deficit through Pawandeep Singh’s field goal in the 41st minute, but Chandan Yadav restored Uttar Pradesh’s two-goal cushion with a penalty corner in the 58th minute. The result put Uttar Pradesh on the Division A podium after the team had lost 5-3 to Madhya Pradesh in the semifinal.
Final: Hockey Haryana 2-1 Hockey Madhya Pradesh.
14th minute: Mohammad Zaid Khan scored Madhya Pradesh’s opening goal.
21st minute: Navraj Singh equalised for Haryana from a penalty corner.
50th minute: Joginder Singh scored the championship-winning goal.
Third-place match: Uttar Pradesh Hockey 3-1 Hockey Punjab.
Haryana’s semifinal: 3-3 against Punjab, followed by a 4-2 shootout win.
Haryana’s semifinal against Punjab was one of the tightest matches in the Division A knockout stage. Haryana had led 2-0 at half-time, with field goals from Deepak and Pankaj, and later moved 3-1 ahead through Raman. Punjab fought back with a penalty corner from Jaswinder Singh and a penalty stroke from Ujwal Singh to make it 3-3 by the 58th minute.
In the shootout, Harpal, Navraj Singh, Shubham and Deepak scored for Haryana. Goalkeeper Ankit Malik saved attempts from Gurjot Singh and Dilraj Singh, helping Haryana win the shootout 4-2 and advance to the final. Madhya Pradesh’s route was a 5-3 semifinal victory over Uttar Pradesh, with Pratap Lakra scoring three penalty corners before Ali Ahmad and Arjun Sharma added goals.
The result gives Haryana a national senior title after a knockout campaign that demanded both attacking production and resilience under pressure. For domestic players and coaches, the final also highlights the value of penalty-corner execution: both of Haryana’s goals came from set pieces, including the decisive strike in the 50th minute.
The championship brought 29 teams together across three divisions from October 10 to 21 in Jhansi. With Division A concluded, Haryana takes the top position, Madhya Pradesh finishes second and Uttar Pradesh third. The final rankings and match details are based on Hockey India’s official tournament report.
