Jhansi: Kerala came back from 1-5 down to beat Uttarakhand 6-5 while Odisha defeated Chhattisgarh 8-1 in Division ‘B’ on the sixth day of the 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2026 in Jhansi on Thursday.
In Division ‘A’, Uttar Pradesh Hockey blanked Hockey Chandigarh 5-0 in a Pool C clash while Hockey Madhya Pradesh overcame Le Puducherry Hockey 4-2.
Sharda Nand Tiwari opened the scoring for Uttar Pradesh via a penalty corner in the 9th minute. Ajeet Yadav scored a hat-trick of field goals in the 37th, 42nd and 56th minutes. Mohammad Haris completed the win with a penalty corner on the stroke of full time. It was Chandigarh’s first defeat after their 3-0 win over Karnataka on Day 5.
In Pool B, captain P. Mahendran gave Puducherry the lead with a penalty corner in the 27th minute, and Pratap Lakra levelled with a penalty corner in the 33rd. Arjun Sharma put Madhya Pradesh ahead with a field goal in the 46th minute, and IE Palangappa equalised with a penalty stroke in the 52nd. Madhya Pradesh scored twice in the final minute. Sharma scored again, and captain Yousuf Affan added a field goal.
In Pool D, Manipur defeated Delhi 5-2. Cyril Lugun gave Manipur the lead with a penalty corner in the 1st minute, and Dheeraj Vats equalised for Delhi in the 3rd. Talem Priyobarta (4′) and Lugun (9′) then scored penalty corners to put Manipur 3-1 ahead after the first quarter. Pardeep pulled one back with a penalty corner in the 26th minute. Vijay Kumar Gond (35′) and Thokchom Kingson Singh (57′) scored field goals to seal the win. Delhi have now lost both of their matches after a 1-3 defeat to Haryana on Day 5.
In Pool A, Hockey Punjab were held to a 1-1 draw by Hockey Bengal. Ujwal Singh gave Punjab the lead with a penalty stroke in the 9th minute. Kishor Lakra equalised for Bengal with a field goal in the 58th minute. It was Bengal’s second 1-1 draw in two matches, after their draw with Tamil Nadu on Day 5.
In Division ‘B’, Kerala Hockey made a grand comeback to prevail 6-5 over Hockey Uttarakhand while Hockey Association of Odisha thrashed Chhattisgarh Hockey 8-1.
In a Pool A clash, Muhammed Kaif gave Kerala the lead with a field goal in the 5th minute, and Uttarakhand then scored five goals in nine minutes in the third quarter. Vishal Kumar (35′), Mahendra Singh Bisht (37′ penalty corner, 38′) and Arpit Kumar Kohli (41′ penalty corner, 43′) made it 5-1.
Shahanul Shafas pulled one back for Kerala in the 44th minute. Kerala then scored four times in the last four minutes. Viju Teswin (57′), Sandeep Yadav (58′), S Akhil (59′) and Sandeep Yadav again (60′) completed the turnaround. Kerala have won their last two matches after a 5-2 win over Assam on Day 5.
In Pool A, Anmol Ekka scored five penalty corners (11′, 14′, 19′, 20′, 34′) as Odisha led 5-0 at the 26th minute. Aryan Xess scored a field goal in the 26th minute. Captain Sandeep Kumar scored for Chhattisgarh with a field goal in the 42nd minute. Sudeep Chirmako then scored field goals in the 45th and 47th minutes. Odisha have won all four of their matches, scoring 45 goals and conceding three. Chhattisgarh lost for the first time in the championship.
In Pool B, Hockey Jharkhand beat Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey 2-0. The match was goalless until the 41st minute, when Joseph Kongari scored a field goal. Joseph Topno made it 2-0 with a penalty corner in the 53rd. DNH&DD suffered their first defeat after three wins.
In Pool B, Goans Hockey went down 2-3 to Telangana Hockey in a close match. Arjun Yadav gave Telangana the lead with a field goal in the 11th minute, and H Thrishul Ganapathi equalised for Goa in the 25th. Goa went ahead through Sathwik HR’s penalty corner in the 43rd minute. R Aiyappa levelled with a penalty stroke in the 45th, and captain Shiva Kumar Shivangi scored the winner with a penalty corner in the 58th. It was Telangana’s first win of the championship. Goa have lost all four of their matches.
(IANS)
