Hockey India has named an 18-player squad, led by Harmanpreet Singh, for the Asian Champions Trophy in Punjab. Goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak returns, and India open as defending champions against Bangladesh in Jalandhar on 27 October, as the event’s most successful side.
Two weeks before the first match, Chief Coach Craig Fulton has his group. Hockey India announced on Tuesday, 13 October, an 18-man playing squad plus two reserves for the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026, a selection that keeps the spine of the side that won Asian Games gold earlier this month.
A gold-medal spine
On 3 October in Japan, India beat Malaysia 5-1 to retain the Asian Games men’s hockey title and book a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Harmanpreet scored twice in that final, and Jugraj Singh, Hardik Singh and Shilanand Lakra also scored. All four are in the new squad.
Harmanpreet captains from defence, alongside Sanjay, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh and Amandeep Lakra. Suraj Karkera and Pathak are the goalkeepers. The midfield is Rajinder Singh, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh and Manpreet Singh, and the forward line is Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh. Vishnu Kant Singh and Angad Bir Singh travel as reserves.
Pathak’s return in goal and the continued opportunities for Amandeep Lakra and Lalage are the talking points in a group that otherwise changes little. Fulton said playing the tournament in Punjab “will be something special” and described the squad as a blend of youth and experience.
A field without Pakistan
The six-team event will run without Pakistan. Bangladesh replaced them after they did not travel to India, joining India, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and China. It also removes a fixture India won at the World Cup in August, when Harmanpreet and Abhishek scored two each in a 5-3 win over Pakistan. In the same tournament, Harmanpreet scored from a penalty corner in a 1-3 defeat to the Netherlands.
The road through Jalandhar
The tournament runs from 27 October to 5 November. Teams play a single round-robin in Jalandhar, with the opening ceremony before India’s first match, then the top four advance to the semi-finals on 4 November in Mohali. The bronze-medal match and the final follow on 5 November, also in Mohali.
India’s league programme, with every match starting at 7 pm IST, runs as follows: Bangladesh on 27 October, China on 29 October, Japan on 30 October, Malaysia on 1 November and South Korea on 2 November. Rest days fall on 28 October, 31 October and 3 November.
What lies ahead
India arrive as defending champions and as the competition’s most successful side. Fulton’s squad, fresh from continental gold, now has two weeks to prepare for a title defence on home soil that begins in Jalandhar against Bangladesh.
