Mohali, 03 November (H.S.): The Indian men’s hockey team will take on South Korea in the semi-finals of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 on Wednesday, aiming to move a step closer to defending their title. After the league-stage matches were held in Jalandhar, the tournament will now move to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali for the knockout rounds.

According to Hockey India, India produced an outstanding performance in the league stage, winning all five of their matches to secure an unbeaten passage into the semi-finals. Their campaign included a commanding 8-0 victory over South Korea in their final league-stage encounter in Jalandhar on Monday. The two teams will therefore meet for the second time in three days, although Wednesday’s knockout clash will present an entirely different challenge for both sides.

Following the emphatic win over South Korea, India’s chief coach Craig Fulton had cautioned that the pressure in a knockout match would be different and stressed the importance of making a strong start.

India’s success in the league stage has been built on contributions from across the forward line. Sukhjeet Singh and Dilpreet Singh have been in impressive form, scoring four goals each in the tournament so far. Abhishek has added three goals, although he missed the previous match against South Korea due to injury.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh is currently the tournament’s leading goal-scorer with nine goals. Another of India’s drag-flick specialists, Jugraj Singh, has also made a valuable contribution, scoring three goals.

India finished at the top of the standings with 15 points. The team scored 34 goals in the league stage while conceding just five, underlining its dominance throughout the competition. The defending champions will now look to carry that momentum into the semi-final as they pursue a record-extending sixth Asian Champions Trophy title.

India are the most successful team in the tournament’s history, having won the title in 2011, 2016, 2018 (jointly with Pakistan), 2023 and 2024.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar