SportsPosted at: Oct 31 2026 9:15PM


Harmanpreet top scorer as India & Malaysia grab last four spots in Asian Champions Trophy

Chandigarh, Oct 31 (UNI) Defending champions India and Malaysia have booked their places in the semi-finals of the men’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament, having won their first three encounters each.
The two unbeaten sides will face each other in the final round of the league stage on Sunday.
India is top of the six-team table with nine points and a superior goal difference of 19, ahead of Malaysia, who also have nine points but with a goal difference of eight. Japan is third with six points, followed by South Korea with three, while China and Bangladesh have yet to open their accounts.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh leads the tournament's scoring chart with five goals, all from penalty corners, as the hosts seek to extend their unbeaten run in the continental competition.
India registered their third consecutive victory with a 4-1 win over Japan on Friday, following a commanding 13-0 victory against Bangladesh and a 5-2 success over China.
Abhishek scored twice against Japan in his 150th international appearance, while Harmanpreet and Vishnu Kant Singh contributed a goal each. Japan's Shota Yamada scored through a penalty stroke.
"Our strategy in the last quarter was to control the game and press higher. That is how we got the goals," Abhishek said after Friday's victory.
"At half-time, coach Craig Fulton told us to create pressure on Japan," he added, crediting India's improved attacking performance in the closing stages.
Malaysia also maintained their perfect record with a 6-1 victory over Bangladesh, adding to earlier wins against China and South Korea.
With nine matches completed, the tournament has produced 54 goals, averaging six per match, according to figures released by Punjab's Information and Public Relations Department on Saturday.
Of these, 28 have come from open play, 23 from penalty corners and three from penalty strokes. None of the nine matches has ended in a draw.
India have been the highest scorers in the tournament with 22 goals and have conceded only three goals. Malaysia has scored 14 goals and conceded six.
Harmanpreet is on top of the individual scorers’ chart with five goals, with Malaysia’s Abu Kamal Azrai next with four. India's Mandeep Singh and Abhishek are among the players who have scored three goals each.
Mandeep has registered the competition's only hat-trick so far, scoring three times in India's opening victory over Bangladesh.
Saturday was a rest day for all six teams, although South Korea and Bangladesh held practice sessions ahead of the remaining league fixtures.
The final six round-robin matches will be played at Jalandhar's Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium on November 1 and 2.
India faces Malaysia at 7 p.m. on Sunday before concluding their league campaign against South Korea on Monday.
South Korea will meet Bangladesh, and China will face Japan in Sunday's earlier matches. Monday's fixtures will feature China against Bangladesh and Malaysia against Japan, followed by India against South Korea.
The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, while the bottom two will contest a fifth-place classification match.
The tournament will move to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali for the semi-finals on November 4, followed by the bronze-medal playoff and final on November 5.
The competition is being held in Punjab for the first time, bringing together six Asian teams for the continental championship.
UNI NB BM
Tags: #Harmanpreet top scorer as India & Malaysia grab last four spots in Asian Champions Trophy
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