Asian Games 2026: Indian Hockey Teams Begin Campaign with Big Wins

India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams made a commanding start to their Asian Games campaign, with qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics among their key targets. The Indian women’s team overwhelmed Uzbekistan 19-0, with Deepika producing a stunning performance by scoring eight goals. Ishika completed a hat-trick, while Navneet Kaur and Lalremsiami scored twice each. Lalremssiamy, Neha, Sakshi Rana and Baljeet Kaur also found the net. In the men’s match, India defeated Indonesia 13-1. Dilpreet Singh was the star with four goals, while Shilanand and Sukhjeet Singh scored two each. Abhishek, Rajinder, Mandeep, Harmanpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh added one goal apiece. Indonesia’s only goal came from Alia.

The Indian teams also attracted attention for their saffron-accented jerseys during their opening matches. Hockey India had earlier indicated that the teams would wear their traditional blue jerseys at the Asian Games following a debate over the use of saffron jerseys during the recent World Cup. However, the teams appeared in kits featuring white, blue and saffron elements in their opening fixtures. Hockey India sources reportedly indicated that the reason behind the change was unclear, amid reported differences between Hockey India officials. These claims about internal differences remain attributed to Hockey India sources.