Pune, August 21: Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh have secured their spots in the semifinals of the 16th Hockey India Junior Women’s National Championship 2026.
In the first quarterfinal held at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium in Pune, Hockey Jharkhand triumphed over the Hockey Association of Odisha in a shootout (1-1; 4-3). In the fourth quarterfinal, Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Manipur Hockey 3-1. Other quarterfinal matches saw Hockey Haryana overcome Hockey Chandigarh 3-1, while Chhattisgarh Hockey claimed victory against Hockey with a score of 5-2.
The first semifinal on Friday will feature Hockey Jharkhand against Hockey Madhya Pradesh, while the second semifinal will see Hockey Haryana face off against Chhattisgarh Hockey.
In the initial quarterfinal, Jharkhand and the Hockey Association of Odisha ended regulation time tied at one goal each. Lugun Anjulata scored first for Odisha (24′), but Rajni Karketta equalized for Jharkhand (33′).
During the shootout, Salomi Nag, Anupriya Soreng, Dungdung Sweety, and Rajni Karketta scored for Jharkhand, while Drupati Naik, Amad Ashika, and Ajita Ekka netted for Odisha.
In the fourth quarterfinal, Madhya Pradesh ended Manipur Hockey’s journey with a 3-1 win. Kajal scored twice (25′, 43′)-the first from a penalty corner and the second from open play-while Tanvi added another goal from a penalty corner (37′). Manipur Hockey reduced the deficit with a penalty corner goal from Chanu Romita Waribam (44′).
In the second quarterfinal, Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Chandigarh 3-1. Goals from Durga (14′), Diksha (19′), and Sukhpreet Kaur (59′) helped Haryana, while Chandigarh managed a goal through Apram (39′).
Chhattisgarh Hockey delivered an exciting performance, defeating Uttar Pradesh Hockey 5-2. Yashoda (9′, 37′), Rukhmani (19′), Anjali Ekka (24′), and Yadav Sheetal (44′) scored for Chhattisgarh, while Uttar Pradesh’s goals came from Shankar Payal (22′) and Annu (33′).