Sr men's hockey nationals: M.P., Manipur, Punjab, U.P reach semifinals

In the first match of the day, after a 1-1 draw over four quarters, Hockey Madhya Pradesh emerged victorious over Hockey Maharashtra 4-2 in the shootout as the national championship moved towards the business end. Pratap Lakra (6') converted a penalty corner and opened the scoring for Hockey Madhya Pradesh early in the game. Three minutes later, Hockey Maharashtra promptly replied courtesy of a field goal from Aakib Rahim (9').

Sundram Singh Rajawat, Shreyas Dhupe, Ali Ahmad, and Pratap Lakra scored in the shootout for Hockey Madhya Pradesh. Devindar Walmiki and Venkatesh Kenche were the only scorers for Hockey Maharashtra as Madhya Pradesh goalkeeper Sanjay B. made crucial saves to help his side win.

Defences were on top in the second quarterfinal match as Manipur Hockey and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu played out a goalless draw and battled it out in the shootout, which the former won 4-1. Manipur Hockey won six penalty corners while Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu won four, however, both sides couldn't find the net. In the shootout, Nilakanta Sharma, Waribam Nirajkumar Singh, Kothajit Singh and Laishram Dipu Singh scored for Manipur Hockey.

Goalkeeper Ankit Malik of Manipur Hockey was in incredible form and made two saves. Karthi Selvam was the only scorer for the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu during the shootout.

In the third match, Hockey Punjab defeated Hockey Haryana 3-2 to seal their spot in the Semi-Finals. Araijeet Singh Hundal (15') scored the only goal of the first half to give Hockey Punjab the lead.

Sanjay (32') scored the equaliser for Hockey Haryana, but Hockey Punjab scored two goals in quick succession, thanks to Jugraj Singh (33') and Pardeep Singh (34'), to reclaim the lead. Kuldeep (56') got one goal back in the dying minutes of the game however, Hockey Punjab prevailed over the four quarters.

In the last quarterfinal match, Uttar Pradesh Hockey enjoyed a 3-1 win over Hockey Karnataka. Although Rahul C.J (24') scored the first goal to take the lead in the second quarter for Hockey Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh Hockey made a strong comeback. Manish Yadav (45') successfully converted a penalty corner to level the score in the third quarter.

They then scored two goals in the fourth quarter courtesy of Pawan Rajbhar (52') and Sharda Nand Tiwari (59') to seal their spot in the semifinal.