The 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2026 in Jhansi produced a mixed bag on Day 3 (12 October), with two stalemates in Division 'B', a dramatic last-quarter comeback in Division 'C', and dominant victories for Rajasthan and Mizoram. The day underscored the competitive unpredictability of the early pool stages across all three divisions.

Division B: Kerala and Jharkhand share points in separate draws

In Pool A, Kerala Hockey recovered from a heavy 0-9 defeat at the hands of Odisha on Day 2 to earn a hard-fought point against Chhattisgarh. Anoop Kumar Maurya gave Kerala the lead with a field goal in the 29th minute, but Chhattisgarh captain Sandeep Kumar converted a penalty corner in the 45th minute to equalise. Sonu Nishad then turned the game on its head with an open-play goal in the 48th minute, only for Sandeep Yadav to rescue a point for Kerala with a penalty corner conversion in the 59th minute. The final score stood at 2-2.

In Pool B, Hockey Jharkhand and Telangana Hockey played out a 1-1 draw. Dilbar Barla put Jharkhand ahead with a penalty corner in the 26th minute, and Telangana captain Shiva Kumar Shivangi equalised from a penalty corner in the 56th minute. Jharkhand remain unbeaten after their 4-1 win over Goa on Day 2, while Telangana collected their first point of the tournament having lost to Arunachal on Day 1.

Division C: Jony Kumar hat-trick sends Bihar past Andhra Pradesh

The most gripping contest of the day came in Division 'C' Pool B, where Bihar (BSSA) overcame Hockey Andhra Pradesh 4-3 in a match they trailed twice. Andhra Pradesh — who had romped to an 8-0 win on Day 1 — led on two separate occasions through Metta Sai Kumar's penalty corners in the 11th and 38th minutes and a field goal from captain Lekkala Hitesh Rao in the 25th minute.

Bihar clawed back each time through Jony Kumar and Md Sidik, with Jony's penalty corner in the 26th minute and Sidik's in the 29th minute keeping the scores level. Jony then struck from open play in the 43rd minute to make it 3-3, before completing a match-winning hat-trick with a penalty stroke in the 53rd minute. The win was Bihar's first of the championship, having lost 2-3 to Rajasthan on Day 1.

Rajasthan demolish Gujarat 6-2 for second consecutive win

Also in Division 'C' Pool B, Hockey Rajasthan produced the most convincing scoreline of the day, defeating Hockey Gujarat 6-2. Prathambhai Patel gave Gujarat a surprise lead in the 8th minute, but Kunal Koundal levelled for Rajasthan with a penalty corner in the 22nd minute. The match turned decisively in the third quarter as Pawan Kumar Yadav struck twice — in the 36th and 39th minutes — and Ankit Rawat added a third in the 42nd minute. Rawat extended the lead in the 48th minute, Patel pulled one back for Gujarat in the 54th minute, before Rawat completed his hat-trick in the 60th minute. Rajasthan have now won both their matches in the division.

Mizoram edge Jammu and Kashmir 2-1 to bounce back

In Division 'C' Pool A, Hockey Mizoram overcame Hockey Jammu and Kashmir 2-1. Karanjit Singh gave J&K the lead in the 9th minute, but Dharmendra Pal swung the match Mizoram's way with penalty corner goals in the 15th and 28th minutes. Mizoram held their lead through the remainder of the game. The result marked a strong response from Mizoram after their 2-4 defeat to Himachal Pradesh on Day 2, while J&K suffered their first loss of the tournament following a 6-3 opening-day win.

With pool-stage action continuing in Jhansi, the standings will tighten sharply over the next two days as teams push for knockout qualification spots.