New Delhi, 30 December 2025: India’s men closed out 2025 with their Asia-leading status reaffirmed after winning the Hero Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar, their first title at the event in eight years. The Craig Fulton-coached side defeated traditional rivals Korea, China and Malaysia on the way to the trophy, returning to the top of the continental rankings.
The year had begun positively with solid results in the FIH Pro League home leg in Bhubaneswar, which followed soon after the revived Hero Hockey India League (HIL). The league provided match time to several fringe players pushing for senior selection.
Led by Harmanpreet Singh, India won six of their eight Pro League matches at home against Spain, Germany, Ireland and England, building on the momentum from the Paris Olympic bronze and the Asian Champions Trophy title in China. However, the European leg of the Pro League in June proved more difficult, yielding only a single win against Belgium, while India went down to Australia, the Netherlands and Argentina.
India recovered strongly in August at the Asia Cup, lifting the continental title with disciplined team performances.
Another notable result came at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, where an India ‘A’ squad competed with several senior players — including Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh and Hardik Singh — rested. The development side finished runners-up after a narrow 0–1 loss to Belgium in the final, having earlier recorded wins over Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Canada.
Reflecting on the year, captain Harmanpreet Singh said the performances of the wider group were encouraging ahead of a busy 2026 calendar.
“Winning the Asia Cup was definitely a highlight for the Indian team but I think Azlan Shah was one of the highlights of the year where many of us from the main team were rested but the development squad ended up doing well. This puts us in good stead for a busy year in 2026 with Asian Games and World Cup being close to each other and we can have different options in the squad,” he said.
Harmanpreet concluded the year as India’s leading goal-scorer, while Fulton’s side approach 2026 with depth across the core squad and development group.
