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India opened their 2026 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy campaign with a commanding 13-0 victory over Bangladesh at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Tuesday, October 27. Mandeep Singh scored a hat-trick, while captain Harmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh and Dilpreet Singh each struck twice in a one-sided contest that gave the home side an emphatic start to the tournament.
Harmanpreet opened the scoring in the second minute with a penalty-corner conversion, and Mandeep doubled India’s advantage soon afterwards. Mandeep scored again in the 11th minute after a fine move involving Abhishek Nain, who dribbled past defenders before setting up the forward. Shilanand Lakra was credited with the fourth goal following a fast counter-attack near the end of the opening quarter.
India carried the momentum into the second quarter. Abhishek Nain scored in the 18th minute after Mandeep returned the favour with a pass inside the circle, and Nilakanta Sharma added another with a powerful finish after turning away from a defender. India went into half-time leading 6-0, having given Bangladesh little opportunity to build a response.
India’s scoring continued in the third quarter after a quieter spell. Dilpreet Singh made it 7-0 with a shot that went in off the inside of the post, then scored again within a short interval. Harmanpreet converted another penalty corner to take India to 9-0 as the hosts scored three times in about a minute late in the quarter.
Jugraj Singh converted a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter to make it 10-0. Mandeep then completed his hat-trick with a close-range finish in the 54th minute, capping a memorable night for the 31-year-old forward in front of the home crowd. Hardik Singh added two late goals, including a finish after Mandeep’s build-up play, as India reached 13 without reply.
According to NDTV’s live coverage, India finished with 18 shots on target. The final score was 13-0, a result that reflected the hosts’ attacking depth across all four quarters rather than reliance on a single scorer.
Mandeep’s three goals led the way, while Harmanpreet, Hardik and Dilpreet each scored twice. Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek Nain, Nilakanta Sharma and Jugraj Singh added one goal apiece. The distribution of goals gave India several positive takeaways at the start of a compact league phase, with both penalty-corner execution and open-play combinations contributing to the total.
Harmanpreet’s early conversion settled the team quickly, and India’s forwards repeatedly found space around the circle. The combination between Abhishek and Mandeep produced one of the first-quarter goals, while Mandeep later assisted Hardik’s second strike. India’s ability to keep creating chances even after establishing a large lead was a feature of the performance.
India’s next fixture is against China on October 29. The league stage runs through November 2, with each team facing the other sides in the six-team competition. The top four will qualify for the semifinals, scheduled for November 4, before the bronze-medal match and final on November 5 in Mohali.
The tournament is an important home assignment for India after their men’s team won gold at the 2026 Asian Games. India have been the most successful side in the Asian Champions Trophy, with five titles, and will be aiming to add another trophy to that record. A 13-0 opening win gives them an early boost, though the tougher tests will come as the league phase progresses.
For Bangladesh, the match was a difficult introduction to the tournament against a home side that quickly seized control. India, meanwhile, will take confidence from the number of players who contributed to the scoreline and from a defence that kept a clean sheet. Their next challenge will be to carry the same discipline and attacking fluency into the meeting with China.
