India beat Malaysia 4-2 in Asian Champions Trophy, captain Harmanpreet Singh scores hat-trick

The Asian Champions Trophy is being played at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar. India beat Malaysia 4-2 in a closely fought Asian Champions Trophy 2026 match at the venue, with captain Harmanpreet Singh the biggest hero of the win.

Harmanpreet scored a hat-trick against Malaysia and was named Player of the Match. It was India's fourth consecutive win in the tournament, which has further lifted the team's confidence.

India attacked from the start. They won a penalty corner in the third minute and Harmanpreet scored the opening goal from it. Malaysia then made a strong comeback. They won their first penalty corner in the 18th minute, but India's goalkeepers Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Rajinder made fine saves to foil the attempt. Malaysia still scored their first goal in the 25th minute to level the score at 1-1, making the match more exciting.

After the equaliser, Harmanpreet struck again. He scored his second goal from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute and India went ahead. India eventually won 4-2. The Malaysian side the Indian men's team beat is the Asian Games silver medallist.

With the win, India moved to the top of the Asian Champions Trophy points table with 12 points from four matches. Malaysia are second, Japan third and South Korea fourth, making the tournament more interesting.

India's last league-stage match is against South Korea on Monday.