Jr Men National C’ship: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh storm into final

Coimbatore, Aug 6 (IANS) Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Madhya Pradesh secured impressive victories in their respective semifinals to book their places in the final of the 16th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2026 – Division ‘A’, being played in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday.

In the opening semifinal, Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Hockey Punjab 6–4 in a thrilling high-scoring encounter. Odisha displayed attacking flair throughout the match, with Bilkan Oram emerging as the star performer after completing a brilliant hat-trick. He found the back of the net in the 28th, 41st and 52nd minutes to lead his side to victory.

Alok Kujur opened the scoring for Odisha in the 11th minute, while captain Deepak Pradhan added another in the 37th minute. Amit Kiro rounded off the scoring with a goal in the 59th minute.

Hockey Punjab fought hard and kept the contest alive with goals from Amandeep in the 7th and 42nd minutes, Mandeep Singh in the 8th minute and Ajaypal Singh in the 34th minute. Despite their spirited effort, Odisha maintained their composure and sealed an entertaining 6–4 win to advance to the championship clash.

In the second semifinal, Hockey Madhya Pradesh registered a disciplined 2–0 victory over Hockey Jharkhand. After a closely contested match for much of the game, Hockey Madhya Pradesh broke the deadlock in the 56th minute through Rajveer Singh. Just two minutes later, Aashir Aadil Khan doubled the lead in the 58th minute, ensuring their team secured a well-deserved place in the final.

Both teams showcased strong defensive discipline before Hockey Madhya Pradesh capitalised on their late opportunities to finish the contest in commanding fashion.

With the semifinals concluded, Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Madhya Pradesh will face each other in the Final of the tournament on 8th August 2026, where the coveted 16th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2026 title will be at stake. Earlier in the day, Hockey Punjab and Hockey Jharkhand will compete in the 3rd/4th place playoff as they aim to finish their campaigns on a winning note.

The stage is now set for an exciting finale in Coimbatore, with India’s finest junior hockey talent ready to battle for national honours.

–IANS

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