Asian Champions Trophy semi-final: unbeaten India meet Korea again in Mohali on 4 November, two days after an 8-0 win

India’s men’s hockey team arrive in Mohali with a perfect record and a familiar opponent. On Wednesday, 4 November, the defending champions play South Korea in an Asian Champions Trophy semi-final, set for 7 pm IST at Mohali’s Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium, two days after beating the same side 8-0 in Jalandhar.

That win on Monday, 2 November, closed a league stage in which India won all five matches, scored 34 goals, let in five and collected 15 points. Dilpreet Singh struck twice against Korea, with one goal each from Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay and Angad Bir Singh. Before that, India had beaten Bangladesh 13-0, China 5-2, Japan 4-1 and Malaysia 4-2.

Goals from all over the pitch

Captain Harmanpreet Singh leads the tournament scoring list with nine goals, three of them on Sunday, 1 November, against Malaysia. Hockey India said Sukhjeet and Dilpreet have four each and Abhishek and Jugraj three apiece. Abhishek missed the Korea match because of an injury.

Craig Fulton, the chief coach, has told his players not to lean on the league result. A knockout game, he said, carries a different kind of pressure, and a good start will matter most. India also beat Korea 8-2 at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in September, a win that led to the gold medal there.

No team has won this trophy more often. India were champions in 2011, 2016, 2018 (split with Pakistan when the final could not be played), 2023 and 2024, and they are now two wins from a sixth title.

Japan and Malaysia in the first semi-final

Japan, second in the table with 10 points, play third-placed Malaysia at 4:30 pm IST. Korea finished fourth with six points. China and Bangladesh meet at 2 pm for fifth place. The bronze-medal match and the final are on Thursday, 5 November, at the same Mohali ground. Entry is free for fans who register online; Star Sports 2 and JioHotstar carry the matches live.