India Storm Past Sri Lanka 16-1 to Make It Two Wins in a Row at Asian Games 2026

India’s men’s hockey team continued its commanding start to the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, producing another high-scoring performance to defeat Sri Lanka 16-1 in their second Pool A match at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Tuesday.

The defending Asian Games champions followed up their opening 13-1 victory over Indonesia with another emphatic result, maintaining their perfect start to the tournament. India dominated proceedings from the opening whistle and scored freely throughout all four quarters, with eight different players finding the net.

Jugraj Singh and Abhishek were the standout performers, both completing hat-tricks, while Jugraj eventually finished with four goals.

The victory gives India two wins from two matches in Pool A as the team continues its defence of the Asian Games title.

India wasted little time establishing control. Mandeep Singh opened the scoring in the fifth minute after a well-worked move involving Jarmanpreet Singh. Five minutes later, Jugraj Singh converted a penalty corner to double India’s advantage.

Abhishek then added another in the 11th minute as India raced into a 3-0 lead. The pressure continued, with Harmanpreet Singh finding the net from a penalty corner in the 16th minute before Abhishek struck again just a minute later. Within 17 minutes, India had established a commanding 5-0 advantage.

Jugraj added his second goal in the 22nd minute, again from a penalty corner, as India continued to exploit their opportunities from set pieces. He appeared to have completed his hat-trick two minutes later, but the effort was subsequently ruled out following a video referral.

That decision did little to disrupt India's momentum.

India continued to dictate the contest as the second quarter progressed. In the 29th minute, Sukhjeet Singh finished a well-executed penalty corner variation to restore India's six-goal advantage. Just a minute later, Dilpreet Singh joined the scoring, taking India into an 8-0 lead at half-time.

The first-half performance underlined India's attacking depth, with the defending champions repeatedly creating opportunities and maintaining pressure across the pitch. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, struggled to contain India’s movement and attacking combinations.

The third quarter followed the same pattern. Manpreet Singh opened the scoring in the second half with a powerful strike in the 31st minute, before Vivek Sagar Prasad added another five minutes later with a backhand finish. Dilpreet then scored his second in the 38th minute, further extending India's advantage.

The highlight of the quarter came in the 42nd minute when Jugraj completed his hat-trick through a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet added another goal in the 45th minute, scoring his second of the match as India entered the final quarter with an overwhelming 13-0 lead. India showed no signs of slowing down in the final quarter.

Abhishek completed his hat-trick in the 49th minute, taking India's tally to 14. Sri Lanka finally found a breakthrough a minute later when Suresh Rathnayake scored to make it 14-1.

The goal, however, did not change the nature of the contest. India immediately regained their attacking rhythm. Jugraj converted another penalty stroke in the 53rd minute to score his fourth goal of the match, while Dilpreet completed his hat-trick in the 55th minute.

India eventually closed out the contest with a 16-1 victory.

The result represents another strong statement from India at the Asian Games. After opening the tournament with a 13-1 victory over Indonesia, the team has now scored 29 goals in its first two matches while conceding only two. The attacking numbers have been particularly notable, with India finding goals through multiple players rather than relying on a single scorer.

Jugraj’s four-goal performance was the standout individual display against Sri Lanka, while Abhishek and Dilpreet also completed hat-tricks. Harmanpreet contributed twice, with Mandeep, Sukhjeet, Manpreet and Vivek also getting on the scoresheet. The result also maintains India’s perfect record after two Pool A matches and provides further momentum as the tournament progresses.

India’s next challenge will come against South Korea on September 24. The match is scheduled for 11:30 AM IST and will provide another test for the defending champions as they continue their Pool A campaign.

After back-to-back victories by 13-1 and 16-1 margins, India have made an emphatic start to their title defence. The next objective will be to maintain that consistency against stronger opposition while continuing to build towards the knockout stages. For now, however, the numbers tell the story: two matches, two wins, 29 goals scored, and another dominant performance from the reigning Asian Games champions.