Hockey India Junior Men Zonal Championships 2023: Punjab, TN, Jharkhand, MP crowned champions

New Delhi [India], March 28 (ANI): The first Hockey India Junior Men Zonal Championships 2023 concluded in the North, South, East, and West Zones, with Hockey Punjab, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Jharkhand and Hockey Madhya Pradesh crowned as Champions in their respective zones.
In the first match of the day of the Hockey India Junior Men North Zone Championships 2023, Hockey Haryana beat Hockey Chandigarh 2-1 to finish third in the North Zone. Hockey Chandigarh took the lead through Gurpreet Singh (24') but Hockey Haryana staged a comeback with Sunil Maan (42') and Sahil (49') converting from penalty corners in the second half to secure the win, according to an official release on Tuesday.
Hockey Punjab defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey 3-2 in the North Zone Final. Mohd Zaid Khan (14') and Ketan Kushwaha (36') scored for Uttar Pradesh Hockey, but Hockey Punjab held on and goals from Captain Manmeet Singh (16', 42') and Sudhanshu Kandiyal (21') completed their comeback and ensured they took home the trophy.
In the Hockey India Junior Men South Zone Championships 2023, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, Kerala Hockey defeated Hockey Andhra Pradesh by a 4-3 scoreline to secure third place in the South Zone. Kerala Hockey built a solid lead early on through goals from Muhammed Kaif (25') and Team Captain Rijo Shaji (25'). Ashish Lakra (42') and Kolnati Sai Ram (43') were also on the scoresheet for Kerala Hockey. Meanwhile, Captain Shaik Ismail (36', 56') and Nadiminti Venkat (54') scored Hockey Andhra Pradesh.
The final went all the way to Shootout after the match between Hockey Karnataka and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu was locked at 2-2 at the end of regulation time. Dhruva KR (11') and Dhruva BS (47') scored for Hockey Karnataka while Hariharan Sudhakaran (21') and Anand Y (24') scored for Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu. Anand Y, Captain Srinivasan M, Hariharan Sudhakaran, Rakesh and Vel Ragavan R all converted their penalty strokes for the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu to end the Shootout in their favour (5-3).
The first match of the day in the Hockey India Junior Men East Zone Championship 2023
being held in Khunti (Ranchi), Jharkhand ended with Hockey Bihar beating Hockey Bengal by a 3-1 scoreline. Karandeep (22'), Pankaj Jasrotia (31') and Aakash Yadav (56') scored for Hockey Bihar while Bijay Shaw (33') netted the consolation goal for Hockey Bengal.
The finals saw Hockey Jharkhand beat Hockey Association of Odisha by a 3-1 scoreline. Roshan Ekka (16') and Deepak Soreng (43', 55') scored for Hockey Jharkhand while Anmol Ekka (36') scored the lone goal for the Hockey Association of Odisha.
Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Rajasthan 1-1 (3-2) in the Shootout in the 1st Hockey India Junior Men West Zone Championship 2023 final after the match between the two sides was tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time, the release said.
Mayank Karma (27') broke the deadlock by putting Hockey Madhya Pradesh ahead in the game. However, Rahul Choudhary (32') soon scored an equalizer to take the game to Shootout. In the penalty Shootout, Sourabh Dande, Vinay Sanik, and Sourabh Mahar scored for Hockey Madhya Pradesh while Deepak Singh stood tall for his side to secure the victory for their team. (ANI)