Jalandhar, Nov 1 — Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick as India defeated Malaysia 4-2 to register their fourth successive win in the Asian Champions Trophy 2026 at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Sunday, news agency IANS reported. Harmanpreet was named Player of the Match.

Source: IANS

Harmanpreet struck in the 3rd, 33rd and 58th minutes — twice from penalty corners and once from a penalty stroke — while Sukhjeet Singh added India's fourth goal in the 43rd minute. Akhimullah Anuar (25th minute) and Shello Silverius (60th minute) scored for Malaysia, The Bridge reported from the syndicated feed.

Source: The Bridge

4-2Final score, India vs Malaysia
3', 33', 58'Harmanpreet Singh's hat-trick goals
12 ptsIndia's tally — top of the standings
8 goalsHarmanpreet's tournament total, the highest so far

India opened the scoring inside three minutes when Harmanpreet converted a penalty-corner variation involving Jugraj Singh. Malaysia pressed in the second quarter, won a series of penalty corners and levelled in the 25th minute through Anuar, and the teams went into half-time at 1-1, IANS reported.

Harmanpreet restored India's lead from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute. Malaysia's Faiz Jali received a 10-minute yellow card in the 38th minute for charging into Mandeep Singh from behind, and India used the numerical advantage as Sukhjeet finished a pass from Hardik Singh with a backhand shot in the 43rd minute to make it 3-1.

India earned a penalty stroke in the 58th minute after the ball struck a Malaysian defender's foot on the goal line, and Harmanpreet sent a powerful shot high to the goalkeeper's right to complete his hat-trick. Silverius pulled one back for Malaysia in the final minute, but India held on for the 4-2 win.

The match was a repeat of the Asian Games 2026 gold-medal match, where India beat Malaysia 5-1. Both teams had won their first three matches in Jalandhar and came into Sunday's fixture unbeaten. India had earlier defeated Bangladesh 13-0, China 5-2 and Japan 4-1.

India now lead the standings with 12 points from four matches and a goal difference of +21. Malaysia remain second with nine points, followed by Japan on seven and South Korea on six — all four have qualified for the semi-finals, while China and Bangladesh are out of the title race. India play their final league-stage match against South Korea on Monday, IANS reported.

After the match, Harmanpreet said India's only target was to win the title at home. “We are here for gold… Our only target is to win at home… All the youngsters coming in are doing well,” he said, thanking the Jalandhar crowd for its support, according to IANS.