Coimbatore, July 2026 : Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Chandigarh opened their campaigns on a winning note in Division B, while Telangana and Le Puducherry emerged victorious in Division C on the opening day of the 16th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2026 at the Coimbatore Hockey Ground on Tuesday.
The tournament got off to an exciting start with several closely fought encounters and high-scoring matches, highlighting the depth of young hockey talent across the country.
In Pool A of Division B, Hockey Himachal edged past Hockey Maharashtra with a narrow 1-0 victory. The decisive moment came in the ninth minute when Shubhdeep Singh scored the only goal of the match, ensuring a winning start for his side.
The other Pool A fixture saw Hockey Uttarakhand produce an impressive 5-2 victory over Kerala Hockey. Suraj Kumar starred with two early goals in the second and 10th minutes, while Ankit added another brace in the 15th and 33rd minutes. Viraj Choudhary completed the scoring in the 56th minute. Kerala fought back through Ashique Muhammed and V. Sreejith K, but their efforts were not enough to stop Uttarakhand from collecting full points.
In Pool B of Division B, Hockey Andhra Pradesh overcame Bihar 2-1 in a competitive contest. Chandu Gandi opened the scoring in the 36th minute before Ramavath L. Kumar Naik doubled the lead eight minutes later. Bihar reduced the margin through Kumar Vinay in the 55th minute, but Andhra Pradesh held firm to secure victory.
The biggest win of the day came from Hockey Chandigarh, who thrashed Chhattisgarh Hockey 9-2 in a one-sided encounter. Gurpreet Singh was the standout performer, netting five goals, while Gurjeet Singh completed a hat-trick. Fateh Singh also got on the scoresheet as Chandigarh dominated from start to finish. Chhattisgarh’s consolation goals came from Beck Vivek and Mohit Nayak.
Division C also witnessed entertaining action. In Pool A, Goans Hockey and Hockey Rajasthan shared the honours in an entertaining 3-3 draw. Both teams exchanged goals throughout the contest before settling for a point each.
In Pool B, Telangana Hockey registered a convincing 3-0 victory over Tripura. Piyush led the charge with a brace, while Sanga Sriram added the third goal to seal a comfortable win.
Le Puducherry Hockey delivered the most dominant performance in Division C, crushing Hockey Gujarat 10-0. Anbupathi and Illamaran scored two goals each, while Vishnuvarathan, Madhavan, Karan K. Gagade, Vishva, Rithish and Gowtham also found the net in a comprehensive team display.
With several emphatic victories and competitive contests on the opening day, the championship promises more exciting action as teams continue their quest for national honours in the coming days.
