Roundglass Hockey Punjab were crowned champions of the 15th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2025 (Division ‘A’) after a commanding 4-1 win over Hockey Madhya Pradesh in the final at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium on Sunday in Jhansi.
Jugraj Singh scored two goals to earn the Player of the Match while Jaskaran Singh and Maninder Singh added one goal each to reclaim the title for Punjab.
Pratap Lakra opened the scoring for Hockey Madhya Pradesh through a well-converted penalty corner in the 28th minute. However, their lead was short-lived, with Punjab responding swiftly and decisively.
Jugraj Singh, known for his composure under pressure, brought Hockey Punjab level just two minutes later with a clinical finish.
The momentum firmly swung in Punjab’s favour in the second half, with Jaskaran Singh (38’) and Maninder Singh (46’) adding their names to the scoresheet before Jugraj sealed the win with his second goal in the 49th minute.
Earlier in the league phase, Roundglass Hockey Punjab defeated the defending champions, Hockey Association of Odisha, 3-2, but faced a narrow 3-2 loss against Hockey Madhya Pradesh, finishing second in Pool A of Division ‘A’.
In a thrilling quarter-final encounter, Hockey Punjab edged past Hockey Haryana 3-2.
Araijeet Singh Hundal (15’) opened the scoring, with Jugraj Singh (33’) and Pardeep Singh (34’) adding quick goals in the third quarter to regain the lead after an equalizer from Sanjay (32’).
Despite a late goal from Kuldeep (56’), Punjab held firm to secure their place in the semi-final.
The semi-final match against Uttar Pradesh Hockey was another high-scoring thriller. Jasjit Singh Kular led the charge with a brace (14’, 40’), while Harjeet Singh (22’) and Jugraj Singh (45’) contributed vital goals.
Uttar Pradesh Hockey fought back valiantly, with Sharda Nand Tiwari scoring twice (41’, 43’) and Pawan Rajbhar adding another, but Punjab held their ground to win 4-3 and advanced to the final.
Leave a Reply