Hockey Haryana emerge champions in Junior Women National Championship

Pune, Aug 23 (IANS) Hockey Haryana emerged as the undisputed champions at the expense of Hockey Jharkhand in the 16th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2026 at the Maj. Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium, near Pune, on Sunday.

In the final of the tournament organised by Hockey Maharashtra under the aegis of Hockey India, Hockey Haryana were engaged in an exciting battle before they won 2-1.

Hockey Jharkhand, pushing hard, were the first to score when Mundri Saroj (19’) netted, much to the surprise of Hockey Haryana. Thereafter, Hockey Haryana turned the tables and gained the upper hand in the second quarter, which led to Bhavya (23’) finding the net off a penalty corner conversion. At half-time, both teams were locked 1-1.

After a scoreless third quarter, Hockey Haryana scored the winner when Khushi (42’) scored in the fourth quarter to claim the coveted title.

Earlier, Hockey Haryana were quite impressive in the league phase, combining attacking firepower with defensive solidity. Led by captain Shashi Khasa and coached by Azad Singh Malik, Haryana opened with a resounding 10-1 win over Hockey Bengal.

They followed it up with a convincing performance, defeating Hockey Association of Odisha 3-0 in their second pool match.

In the quarter-final, Haryana maintained their momentum with a 3-1 victory over Hockey Chandigarh, before producing an emphatic performance in the knockout stages of the semi-final. Haryana stormed past Chhattisgarh Hockey 8-0 to secure their place in the championship final.

The third-place playoff was won by Hockey Madhya Pradesh, who got the better of Chhattisgarh Hockey 3-1 on Sunday. Having played out a goalless first session, Kajal (35’, 37’) scored a brace. Both goals were scored off penalty strokes. Tanvi (42’) scored the third. Chhattisgarh Hockey pulled one back when Sheetal Yadav (54’) scored.

RESULTS – FINAL:

Hockey Haryana 2 (Bhavya 23’; Khushi 42’) bt Hockey Jharkhand 1 (Mundri Saroj 19’). HT: 1-1.

III-PLACE

Hockey Madhya Pradesh 3 (Kajal 35’, 37’; Tanvi 42’) bt Chhattisgarh Hockey 1 (Sheetal Yadav 54’). HT: 0-0.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Best Forward: Kajal (Hockey Madhya Pradesh)

Best Defender: Bhavya (Hockey Haryana)

Best Goalkeeper: Gargi Barla (Hockey Jharkhand)

Player of the Tournament: Sukhpreet Kaur (Hockey Haryana)

–IANS

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