India opens title defence with 13–1 hockey demolition
Dilpreet Singh scores four as India begins its Asian Games campaign against Indonesia with a 13–1 win.
India began its Asian Games title defence with a 13–1 win over Indonesia in Pool A.
India began its defence of the men’s Asian Games hockey title with a 13–1 win over Indonesia in Pool A on Sunday at Kawasaki Juko Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan. The scoreboard appears to have had a long afternoon.
Dilpreet Singh scored four times, while Shilanand Lakra and Sukhjeet Singh added two goals each. Hockey India’s match report records India leading 7–0 at half-time; Indonesia’s Aulia Al Ardh scored in the 33rd minute before India finished the match with three more goals. Eight Indian players found the net.
India won gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and entered Aichi-Nagoya 2026 as defending champions, according to Hockey India. Its next Pool A match is against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, September 22, at 3:30 pm IST. The tournament winner will qualify directly for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, so the campaign has consequences beyond making Indonesia chase the ball for 60 minutes.