# India thrash Indonesia 13-1 in Asian Games hockey opener

2026-09-20T12:21:40+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Defending champions India began their Asian Games men's hockey campaign with a 13-1 victory over Indonesia in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Sunday. Striker Dilpreet Singh scored four field goals, while Shilanand Lakra and Sukhjeet Singh scored a brace each. Abhishek, Rajinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, skipper Harmanpreet Singh, and Jugraj Singh were the other scorers. Aulia Al Ardh scored Indonesia's only goal in the 33rd minute. The match saw India wear their new saffron kits instead of the traditional blue jerseys. India dominated possession and led 7-0 at halftime. Dilpreet credited the team effort and said the focus is on winning gold and securing a direct berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. India next plays Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Both NDTV Sports and ThePrint carried near-identical PTI copy, reporting the 13-1 scoreline and Dilpreet's four goals without any critical framing. ThePrint included a quote from Dilpreet about the team's Olympic qualification target, which NDTV omitted. The only stray editorial note came from NDTV: it highlighted the jersey change from traditional blue to saffron, a minor detail ThePrint skipped. The coverage is uniformly neutral straight reporting. India's next opponent, Sri Lanka, will test whether the team maintains this intensity.

## Coverage

- sports.ndtv.com (neutral report) <https://sports.ndtv.com/asian-games-2026/dilpreet-singh-slams-4-goals-as-india-beat-indonesia-13-1-in-asian-games-mens-hockey-opener-12071665>
  Duplicate of source-1, identical neutral reporting
- theprint.in (neutral report) <https://theprint.in/sport/india-thrash-indonesia-13-1-in-asian-games-mens-hockey-opener/3047963/>
  PTI syndicated report with player quote, no critical or political framing
- sports.ndtv.com (neutral report) <https://sports.ndtv.com/hockey/dilpreet-singh-slams-4-goals-as-india-beat-indonesia-13-1-in-asian-games-mens-hockey-opener-12071665#publisher=newsstand>
  Duplicate of source-1, identical neutral reporting

Tags: Asian Games, Dilpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka
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Cite: https://indianopinion.org/dilpreet-singh-scores-four-as-india-thrash-indonesia-13-1/#story-in-brief