Hockey India Senior Men National Championship begins in Jhansi

The 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2026 commenced on October 10 in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The tournament features 29 teams competing across three divisions—A, B, and C—and is scheduled to run until October 21.

In the opening matches, the Hockey Association of Odisha secured a dominant 18-1 victory over Hockey Uttarakhand in Pool A, with Aryan Jess and Sudip Chirmako each scoring four goals. In the same pool, Chhattisgarh defeated Assam 8-0. In Pool B, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Hockey won 5-1 against Goa, while Arunachal Pradesh beat Telangana 4-2.

In Division C, Andhra Pradesh recorded an 8-0 win over Gujarat, highlighted by a hat-trick from Hemant Kumar Dodium Subramanyam. Additionally, Hockey Rajasthan defeated Bihar 3-2 in a closely contested match.

Defending champions Hockey Punjab will compete in Division A, which consists of 12 teams. The tournament structure includes pool stages followed by quarterfinals on October 18, semifinals on October 19, and the Division A final on October 21.