Punjab Hockey League U-21 Phase II Kicks Off with Thrilling Wins in Jalandhar
The excitement is building in Jalandhar as Phase II of the second edition of the Punjab Hockey League (U-21) got underway today at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium. Top teams Roundglass Hockey Academy (RGHA) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) National Centre of Excellence, Sonipat, kept their strong form alive, holding onto the first and second spots on the points table. RGHA stays unbeaten, while SAI Sonipat stays hot on their heels in the race for the top.
In the opening clash, SDAT Hockey Academy from Tamil Nadu grabbed a solid 3-1 win over bottom-ranked Ghumanhera Risers Hockey Academy from New Delhi. This victory boosted SDAT’s points to 10 in the Punjab Hockey League standings. S. Vishal fired them ahead in the seventh minute, and S. Krishnan doubled the lead with a penalty stroke in the second quarter. Ghumanhera’s Kunal Singh Chhikara pulled one back, but M. Sugumar sealed the deal with a goal in the final quarter, giving SDAT a comfortable edge.
The second match saw SAI Sonipat storm to a quick 2-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks to strikes from Navraj Singh and Srijan Yadav. Naval Tata Hockey Academy from Jamshedpur fought back hard, leveling the score with goals from Ashish Tani Purti and Premchand Soy. But SAI Sonipat pulled away again—Hargun Singh nailed a penalty stroke, and Harpal Singh added a field goal for a 4-2 triumph. This keeps SAI Sonipat firmly in second place in the U-21 hockey league.
Roundglass Hockey Academy faced a real battle but squeezed out a 2-1 victory over Namdhari Hockey Academy in a nail-biter. The first half ended goalless, but Gurpreet Singh gave Namdhari the edge with a penalty corner goal just two minutes into the second half. Japnit Singh equalized for RGHA seven minutes later from another penalty corner. As the game headed toward a tense finish, Gursewak Singh scored the winner in the 58th minute, handing RGHA their seventh win and keeping their unbeaten streak alive in the Punjab Hockey League.
Wrapping up the day’s action, home favorites PIS Surjit Hockey Academy climbed to third on the table with a 2-1 upset over SGPC Hockey Academy from Amritsar. Manroop Singh broke the deadlock with a penalty corner in the 55th minute, and Manmeet Singh made it 2-0 four minutes later to secure the points. SGPC’s Harmanreet Singh grabbed a late consolation goal in the final minute, but it wasn’t enough for a comeback.
With these Punjab Hockey League U-21 results, the competition heats up—stay tuned for more updates from Jalandhar!
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