From 4-1 Down to 4-4: Indian Oil’s Impossible Comeback Stuns PNB in Chennai

Four-one down. Twenty-three minutes left. Game over? Not quite.

Indian Oil produced the comeback of the 97th Murugappa Gold Cup so far, fighting back from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 with Punjab National Bank in a night game in Chennai that nobody in the ground will forget in a hurry.

It started well enough for the Oilmen. Gurjinder Singh’s 19th-minute penalty corner put them ahead. Then PNB happened. Gursimran Singh levelled from a corner in the 21st, Ingalemba Luwang struck in the 24th, Sanjay converted another corner in the 27th, and Abhimanyu made it four in the 33rd. Nine minutes, four goals, and Indian Oil were buried.

Except they weren’t. Gazee Khan started the impossible in the 37th minute. Gurjinder, already on the scoresheet, converted his second penalty corner of the night sixty seconds later. And in the 57th minute, with the momentum fully turned, Sunil Yadav held his nerve from the penalty spot to make it 4-4.

PNB will feel like they lost two points, and they’d be right. When you’re 4-1 up just after the break, a draw is a defeat. But credit where it’s due: most teams fold at 4-1. Indian Oil scored three unanswered goals in twenty minutes and nearly won it.

What it means

Both sides take a point from their tournament openers, which keeps Pool A wide open behind Railways. But the real story is psychological. Indian Oil now know they can score four against anyone and never know when they’re beaten. PNB know they can score four against anyone too, and still not win. One of those lessons is worth more than the other.

Eight goals, a penalty stroke, two corner braces, and a four-goal lead thrown away. Tournament hockey doesn’t get much better than this.

Related: Murugappa Gold Cup Day 2 round-up, Murugappa Gold Cup 2026 preview, Leagues.