On September 20, 2024, Punjab claimed the title in the 14th Hockey India Junior Men’s National Hockey Championship by defeating Uttar Pradesh 7-6 in a shootout. The final, held at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium, was an exciting match.
Punjab’s team established dominance early, with Sukhwinder Singh scoring the first goal in the fifth minute to make it 1-0. However, in the 31st minute, Ajit Yadav from Uttar Pradesh equalized the score at 1-1. Punjab responded with goals from German Singh in the 33rd minute and Jobanpreet in the 39th minute, taking a 3-1 lead. Uttar Pradesh fought back, with Suraj Pal scoring in the 48th minute and Akash Pal equalizing in the 54th minute.
In the shootout, Punjab converted four attempts, while Uttar Pradesh scored three. Earlier, in the match for third place, Haryana defeated Karnataka 5-0.
The winning teams were awarded prizes by Rajya Sabha member Ashok Mittal and Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey. Tirkey emphasized Punjab’s significant contributions to Indian hockey and mentioned that more championships will be held in Punjab in the future. Mittal congratulated Hockey Punjab and announced a cash reward of one lakh rupees for the team.
