India Favourites as Asian Champions Trophy Returns to Punjab

India will begin the Asian Champions Trophy as overwhelming favourites when the six-team tournament opens in Punjab, with the defending champions facing Bangladesh in their first match. The competition brings international hockey back to the state after 17 years and gives several Indian players the chance to play in front of family and friends on home soil.

Five-time champions India are the highest-ranked team in the field, sitting eighth in the world, and arrive having retained the core of the squad that won Asian Games gold in Aichi-Nagoya. Their record in the event, with titles in 2011, 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2024, makes the hosts the side to beat as they pursue another trophy.

Punjab hosts a significant return for Indian hockey

Punjab has long been a major centre of Indian hockey, and more than half of the current national team comes from the state. The last international hockey tournament held there was the Gold Cup in 2009, making this Asian Champions Trophy a notable homecoming for the sport.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Rajinder Singh, Hardik Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh are among the players set to feature in their home state. Harmanpreet has said it will be an emotional occasion to have his family in the stands.

The tournament also reconnects with Punjab’s deep hockey history. The state has produced figures including Balbir Singh Senior, Udham Singh Kular, Prithipal Singh, Ajit Pal Singh, Surjit Singh Randhawa and Pargat Singh. Sansarpur village in Jalandhar is regarded as the Mecca of Indian hockey after producing 14 Olympians as well as hundreds of national and international players.

India chief coach Craig Fulton is also looking forward to the home setting, saying the team cannot wait to draw energy from the crowd after missing the experience of playing a tournament in India.

There has been one enforced change in the Indian squad. Manpreet Singh misses the tournament after suffering a calf injury in training, with fellow playmaker Vivek Sagar Prasad taking his place. Goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak replaces Mohith HS, while defender Amandeep Lakra and midfielder Aditya Arjun Lalage have been given opportunities in the group.

India face a demanding league schedule

Bangladesh enter the competition in place of Pakistan, who withdrew citing security reasons. After the opening match, India are scheduled to play China on October 29, Japan on October 30, Malaysia on November 1 and Korea on November 2.

The top four sides in the league phase will reach the semifinals, with the semifinals and final set for Mohali on November 4 and 5. India will expect to be in the decisive matches, but Malaysia shape as a significant challenge. India beat Malaysia 5-1 in the Asian Games final, although Malaysia have troubled the hosts in previous meetings.

Japan are another side capable of making India work. They pushed India hard in their recent Asian Games meeting before losing 2-0. Korea, meanwhile, remain part of a field in which India will seek to turn home advantage and their tournament pedigree into a sixth Asian Champions Trophy crown.

The event could also carry added significance for senior players Mandeep Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas and Nilakanta Sharma, all of whom have been part of Olympic and Asian Games medal-winning Indian teams. India’s opening fixture against Bangladesh is the first step in a campaign carrying both title expectations and the weight of a long-awaited return to Punjab.