India players celebrate at the Asian Games 2026

Sunday at the Asian Champions Trophy: Malaysia v India Headlines a Three-Game Card

BySportsCursor

Saturday is a rest day in Jalandhar. Nobody plays, everybody waits, and then Sunday throws up the biggest night of the Asian Champions Trophy so far.

Three games, all at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, all with something real on them. Korea v Bangladesh at 2:00pm PKT, China v Japan at 4:15pm PKT, and Malaysia v India at 6:30pm PKT. If you only watch one, watch the last one. If you can watch all three, you will understand exactly where this tournament stands before the final round on Monday.

Start at the top, because that is where the late game lives. Malaysia go into Sunday on nine points after three straight wins, including Friday’s 6-1 win over Bangladesh. India and Japan both went into Friday night on six points, and their late game on Friday decides who arrives on Sunday still unbeaten and who arrives with a first defeat to shake off. Either way, Malaysia v India is a top-of-the-table game. A Malaysia win, and the leaders go to twelve points with one game left, which just about seals top spot. An India win, and the hosts go to nine or twelve points depending on Friday night’s result, with goal difference and Monday’s games to sort out who finishes first.

The middle game matters just as much for the semi-final race. Japan have been the quiet achievers of this tournament: a 3-2 win over South Korea, a 1-0 win over Bangladesh, no fuss, six points. China, the 2024 runners-up, went into Friday night still looking for their first points after losing 5-4 to Malaysia and 5-2 to India. By Sunday they will know their Friday result against South Korea, and they will know whether this game against Japan is a rescue mission or a last stand. Japan, meanwhile, cannot afford to look past China towards Monday’s game against Malaysia. Drop points here and the top four suddenly gets crowded.

Then there is the opener, and it deserves more attention than it will get. Bangladesh have lost all three games, scored once and conceded twenty. South Korea went into Friday night without a point either, after defeats to Japan and Malaysia. Whoever lost Friday night’s game between Korea and China will come into Sunday needing a win just to stay alive in the semi-final race. Whoever won it will smell a first win of the week turning into a run. For Bangladesh, Sunday is about a first point, a first bit of momentum, and proof that they belong in this field after stepping in late.

After Sunday, there is one round left. Monday brings China v Bangladesh, Japan v Malaysia and India v South Korea, all in Jalandhar. Then the tournament moves to Mohali for the semi-finals on Wednesday 4 November and the medal matches on Thursday 5 November. The top four go through, and by Sunday night we will know a lot more about which four that will be.

In India, the games are on Star Sports 2 and JioHotstar. Entry at the stadium is free, and if Sunday’s late game lives up to its billing, the crowd in Jalandhar will be worth watching on its own.

Related:

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *