Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and four of their Indian hockey teammates will experience a deeply personal homecoming when the Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 gets underway on 27 October in Jalandhar and Mohali. All six — products of the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar — will pull on the India jersey at an international tournament on the very ground where their careers first took shape.

Six Academy Alumni, One Historic Stage

The six players returning to their formative ground are Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Dilpreet Singh, and goalkeeper Krishan Pathak. Their shared history at the Surjit Hockey Academy makes the ninth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy more than a quest for silverware — it is a reunion with the setting that first ignited their ambitions.

Manpreet, who made his senior India debut in 2011 and has since accumulated 430 international appearances, two Olympic medals and three Asian Games gold medals, has never before represented India at a tournament in his home state. 'It's going to be an emotional moment,' he said. 'When we were selected for the national camps, we carried our dreams with us. The time we spent at the Surjit Hockey Academy taught us not just how to play but also emboldened us to dare to dream big.'

Family in the Stands for the First Time

For several of the players, the tournament will also be the first occasion their families watch them compete for India in person at an international event. Harmanpreet, who captains the side and became the first Indian captain to lead the country to Asian Games gold in two consecutive editions, said his entire family — including his father, who has never watched him play for India from inside a stadium — is expected to be present.

'It's going to be a special occasion for the entire team, especially for the players who belong to Punjab because it's the first time that we will be wearing India jersey at an international tournament in Punjab,' said Harmanpreet.

Dilpreet Singh, at 26 the youngest of the six, recalled playing his first national championship from Jalandhar before earning India selection. 'Our careers launched from here,' he said. His parents, he added, have been counting down the days. 'My parents keep asking me when is the tournament beginning, when can we come; they even want to come and watch me in training sessions,' said Dilpreet, whose sporting inspiration came from his grandfather — a long-jumper — and his father, who played hockey.

A Comeback Venue for Krishan Pathak and Jarmanpreet

The tournament carries particular resonance for Krishan Pathak, who returns to the national team after an absence of nine months. The goalkeeper credited the Punjab government and Hockey India for restoring international hockey to the state. 'What makes the occasion even bigger for me and others from the Surjit Hockey Academy is that we will be playing at the same ground where we learned the sport for seven years. I don't think there can be anything bigger than that,' Pathak said.

Defender Jarmanpreet Singh used a two-year stint outside the national squad to train at the very same academy and fight his way back into contention. 'This is the place that gave us wings. For me it's even more special because the two years I was not part of the Indian team, I spent that time at the Surjit Academy training and striving for a comeback, which eventually happened,' he said.

Tournament Format and India's Record

The Asian Champions Trophy 2026 features six nations — India, Malaysia, Japan, China, South Korea and Bangladesh. The league stage runs from 27 October to 2 November in Jalandhar, before the semi-finals and medal matches shift to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali on 4 and 5 November. India, the tournament's five-time champions and its most decorated side among the current participants, open their campaign against Bangladesh in Jalandhar on 27 October. South Korea are the only other competing nation to have won the title previously.

Midfielder Hardik Singh, who also spent a period at the Surjit Hockey Academy before developing primarily at the Mohali Hockey Academy and subsequently joining the national camp, adds another Academy connection to the squad's Punjab contingent.

With the opening match days away, the stage is set for the squad's Punjab contingent to close a circle that began on a Jalandhar turf — this time in front of the families and fans who watched them dream.