The New Indian Express ·
Hockey senior national meet: Team SAI score 20 to win, FCI blank TN 7-0
HYDERABAD: The 6th Hockey India Senior Men Inter-Department National Championship 2026 got underway on Friday in Hyderabad with eight fixtures across Pools A, B, C and D throwing up a mix of one-sided contests and closely fought battles on the opening day.
Team Sports Authority of India (SAI) put up the day's most emphatic performance, thrashing Defence Accounts Sports Control Board 20-1 in a Pool B fixture that saw the floodgates open from the first quarter itself. Nitesh Sharma was the standout performer with a five-goal haul, while Akash Pal struck a hat-trick. In the other Pool B tie, Comptroller & Auditor General of India got their campaign off to a winning start, edging past Central Reserve Police Force 4-1. Thrishul Ganapathi H struck twice, with skipper Parmod and Tiras K also among the scorers.
In Pool A, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board register a comfortable 7-1 win over Sashastra Seema Bal, with Gurjot Singh and Kumar Varun both scoring braces. Central Secretariat kept a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over I.T.B.P. Central Hockey Team, with Bharath Mahalingappa Kurtakoti and Lakra Paulus sharing the goals between them.
