Asian Champions Trophy 2026: India Face China Today After 13-0 Opener; Full Schedule, Timings And Where To Watch

Pune, 29th October 2026: India’s hockey team couldn’t have asked for a better start. The defending champions thrashed Bangladesh 13-0 in their Asian Champions Trophy opener in Jalandhar on Tuesday, and face China tonight at 7 pm.

Mandeep Singh scored a hat-trick in front of his home crowd, and captain Harmanpreet Singh added two. Dilpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra, Jugraj Singh and Nilakanta Sharma were also on the scoresheet as India scored in every quarter.

It was an emotional night for Nilakanta Sharma, who announced after the match that he will retire from international hockey at the end of this tournament. The midfielder was part of the Tokyo Olympics bronze-medal team and the Asian Games gold-winning side in Nagoya, the win that sealed India’s place at the LA 2028 Olympics.

In the other opening games, Malaysia beat China 5-4 and Japan edged South Korea 3-2.

India’s schedule

All of India’s league matches start at 7 pm IST at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar.

• October 27: India 13-0 Bangladesh
• October 29: India vs China
• October 30: India vs Japan
• November 1: India vs Malaysia
• November 2: India vs South Korea

The knockouts move to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali. The semi-finals are on Wednesday, November 4, at 4:30 pm and 7 pm, and the bronze-medal match and final are on Thursday, November 5, at 4:30 pm and 7 pm respectively. It’s the first time Mohali is hosting the semis and final of this tournament.

Six teams, one favourite

India, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China and Bangladesh are taking part. India go in as clear favourites. They are the defending champions and have won the title five times before, in 2011, 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2024. The real tests should come against Japan on Friday and South Korea in the last league game.

Where to watch

The matches are being shown live on the Star Sports Network, including Star Sports Select 2, and streamed on the JioHotstar app and website. A subscription may be needed to stream.

If you happen to be in Punjab, Hockey India has made entry free for all 20 matches. You just need to register for a pass on ticketgenie.in.

For more sport, follow our Sports section. Cricket fans in Pune can also read about the India vs Sri Lanka T20I at the MCA Stadium on December 27.

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