Muscat, July 25, 2026: Pakistan suffered a 7-3 defeat to arch-rivals India in the league stage of the inaugural Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship after a team management error forced them to play much of the match with only three players.
According to tournament details, Pakistan began the contest with six players on the field instead of the permitted five. The match officials immediately identified the infringement and took disciplinary action, reducing Pakistan to three players.
India capitalised on the numerical advantage to register a comfortable victory. Ketan Kushwaha scored twice, while Rahul Yadav, Shahrukh Ali, Prahalad Rajbhar, Romit Pal and Karan Gautam added one goal each.
For Pakistan, Adeel netted a brace, while Muhammad Usman scored the team’s third goal.
The defeat marked Pakistan’s second loss to India in the inaugural tournament. However, despite the setback, Pakistan secured second place in the men’s elite standings to qualify for the championship final.
The Green Shirts will face India once again in the title clash, scheduled to begin later on Saturday at 11:40 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time (PST).
Pakistan reached the final on the back of dominant performances against Bangladesh and hosts Oman. They opened their campaign with a convincing 5-0 victory over Oman before defeating Bangladesh 5-2. Pakistan then overcame Oman again by 7-3 and concluded the league stage with a 2-2 draw against Bangladesh.
