Published: September 22, 2026 at 10:10 pm
India continued with their strong start to the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with a commanding 16-1 victory over Sri Lanka in their second Pool A match at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Tuesday.
India, the defending Asian Games champions, produced another attacking masterclass after opening their campaign with a 13-1 win over Indonesia. The victory saw India score freely across all four quarters, with eight different players finding the back of the net, while Jugraj Singh and Abhishek completed hat-tricks.
Jugraj Singh (10′, 22′, 42′, 53′) scored four goals while Abhishek (11′, 17′, 49′) and Dilpreet Singh (30′, 38′, 55′) each notched up hat-tricks. Harmanpreet Singh (16′, 45′) struck twice while Mandeep Singh (5′), Sukhjeet Singh (29′ PC), Manpreet Singh (31′) and Vivek Sagar Prasad (36′) completed India’s tally with one goal apiece.
Sri Lanka’s lone reply came through Suresh Rathnayake (50′).
Dilpreet helps India dominate Indonesia in their 13-1 win in the Asian Games opener
The Indian side took control from the outset, with Mandeep Singh opening the scoring in the 5th minute after a well-worked move involving Jarmanpreet Singh. Jugraj Singh then converted a penalty corner in the 10th minute before Abhishek added India’s third in the 11th minute.
Harmanpreet Singh joined the scoresheet in the 16th minute through a penalty corner, before Abhishek struck again a minute later to give India a 5-0 lead. Jugraj added his second from another penalty corner in the 22nd minute, although his effort in the 24th minute was subsequently ruled out following a video referral.
India restored their six-goal advantage in the 29th minute when Sukhjeet Singh finished off a well-worked penalty corner variation. Dilpreet Singh then scored in the 30th minute as India went into half-time with an 8-0 lead.
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The third quarter saw India continue to apply pressure. Manpreet Singh scored with a powerful strike in the 31st minute, followed by Vivek Sagar Prasad’s backhand finish in the 36th minute. Dilpreet added his second in the 38th minute, while Jugraj completed his hat-trick in the 42nd minute through a penalty stroke.
The result gives India two wins from two matches in Pool A. India will next face South Korea on September 24. Pics: Hockey India
Harmanpreet Singh scored his second of the match in the 45th minute, taking India to 13-0 at the end of the third quarter.
India continued their attacking momentum in the final quarter, with Abhishek completing his hat-trick in the 49th minute. Sri Lanka pulled one back through Suresh Rathnayake in the 50th minute, but India quickly restored their momentum. Jugraj Singh converted another penalty stroke in the 53rd minute to score his fourth of the match, before Dilpreet Singh completed his own hat-trick in the 55th minute to seal the 16-1 victory.
The result gives India two wins from two matches in Pool A. India will next face South Korea on September 24, with the match scheduled for 11:30 IST.
