Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
Madhya Pradesh will face Haryana in the women’s hockey final at the 38th National Games 2025 at the Vandana Katariya Hockey Stadium in Haridwar. MP and Maharashtra played out a 1-1 draw at the end of regular time. Aishwarya Dubey (6’) and Nilanjali Rai (43’) scored off penalty corners for their respective sides on Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh won the match 4-1 in shootout.
Meanwhile, Haryana defeated Jharkhand 2-1 in the second semi-final match of the women’s event. Kanika Siwach opened the scoring for Haryana in the eighth minute and captain Rani converted a penalty corner in the 26th minute. Jharkhand captain Albela Rani Toppo found the back of the net in the 42nd minute.
In the men’s event, Karnataka defeated Maharashtra 5-4 in shootout. The regular time ended in a 2-2 draw. Venkatesh Kenche found the back of the net in the 11th minute and Aditya Lalage scored off a penalty corner in the 12th minute for the winning side. Ganesh Majji (44’) and Bharath Mahalingappa Kurtakoti (47’) scored a goal each for Maharashtra.
Uttar Pradesh beat Punjab 5-3 in a goal fest in the second semi-final encounter of the men’s competition. Sharda Nand Tiwari (9’, 27’) scored off a couple of penalty corners for UP, while Amir Ali (13’), Ajeet Yadav (22’), and Ketan Kushwaha (57’) scored field goals. Om Rajnesh Saini (12’) scored a goal and Prabhjot Singh (32’, 49’) scored a brace for Punjab.
Match Scores:
Women:
Semi-Final 1: Madhya Pradesh 1-1 (4-1 SO) Maharashtra
Semi-Final 2: Jharkhand 1-2 Haryana
Men:
Semi-Final 1: Karnataka 2-2 (5-4 SO) Maharashtra
Semi-Final 2: Uttar Pradesh 5-3 Punjab
Upcoming Fixtures:
Women:
3rd/4th Place: Maharashtra vs Jharkhand, 7:00 am
Final: Madhya Pradesh vs Haryana, 12:15 pm
Men:
3rd/4th Place: Karnataka vs Punjab, 9:00 am
Final: Maharashtra vs Uttar Pradesh, 2:00 pm
