Jarmanpreet Singh Says He’s Not Done Yet: Defender Dismisses Retirement Talk and Targets LA 2028 Gold
Jarmanpreet Singh isn’t going anywhere, if you ask Jarmanpreet Singh. The defender has dismissed speculation about his retirement and made it clear he intends to keep playing for India, with his sights set on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The 30-year-old from Amritsar is one of four senior players reported to be facing a phase-out after the Asian Champions Trophy, alongside Mandeep Singh, Amit Rohidas and Nilakanta Sharma. The reports said the tournament in Punjab could be their final assignment as Hockey India builds towards LA28. Jarmanpreet, according to reports of his comments, isn’t accepting that version of events. He believes he still has plenty to offer, he wants to keep performing for India, and his ambition is to help the side win gold in Los Angeles.
It’s worth remembering how noisy this story has been all month. Hockey India selection committee chairman RP Singh told the Times of India that at least half a dozen players could be featuring in their final matches at the ACT, that they had been informed, and that they deserved an honourable exit on home turf. Head coach Craig Fulton, meanwhile, has stayed tightlipped on the four names and talked instead about resting senior players and taking a younger squad to New Zealand. And captain Harmanpreet Singh and Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh have both denied any plan to phase players out, calling the reports false rumours.
So who’s right? The honest answer is that nobody outside Hockey India knows yet, and the players are answering the only way they can: on the pitch. Mandeep Singh, another of the four, scored a hat-trick in the 13-0 opening win over Bangladesh. Nilakanta Sharma, the third name on the list, has already announced he will retire from international hockey after this tournament, scoring in the opener on his 163rd cap. Jarmanpreet’s answer is different. He’s saying, publicly, that he wants to be part of what comes next. He described India’s Asian Games gold, which secured direct Olympic qualification, as a significant achievement, and said the players will turn their full focus to the Olympic campaign once this tournament is done.
For a defender who has been part of Olympic bronze-medal squads and an Asian Games gold, that’s not a man winding down. That’s a man who thinks his best chapter is still to come. Whether Hockey India’s selectors agree is the question hanging over the rest of this tournament. Jarmanpreet has at least made his own position impossible to misunderstand.
Related links:
https://sportscursor.com/asian-champions-trophy-2026-four-india-seniors-final-appearance-26-october-2026/
https://sportscursor.com/india-13-0-bangladesh-mandeep-hat-trick-asian-champions-trophy-27-october-2026/
https://sportscursor.com/india-v-china-asian-champions-trophy-thursday-29-october-2026/
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