Chennai, Aug 6 (PTI) — Punjab and Jharkhand emerged victorious in their respective matches on Wednesday, advancing to the final of the 15th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship held here. Punjab triumphed over Uttar Pradesh in a closely contested first semi-final with a score of 4-3. Sukhdev Singh was instrumental in the victory, scoring two crucial goals in the 51st and 52nd minutes. Mandeep Singh and Varinder Singh had earlier put Punjab on the board in the first half with goals in the 19th and 28th minutes, respectively. Uttar Pradesh put up a strong fight with goals from Harsh Pratap Singh in the 9th minute, Ali Shahrukh in the 21st minute, and their captain Ketan Kushwaha in the 28th minute. In the other semi-final, Jharkhand secured a 3-1 win over Madhya Pradesh, coming from behind after Love's 21st-minute goal for Madhya Pradesh. Jharkhand's Soreng Sumray equalized in the 29th minute, with Ashish Tani Purti giving them the lead in the 44th minute. Jaysan Kandulna sealed the victory with a late goal in the 56th minute. As a result of these outcomes, Punjab and Jharkhand will now face off in the eagerly awaited final. Meanwhile, the losing semifinalists, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, will compete for third place on Thursday.
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