Goa Guardians finish group stage unbeaten as Guardians Trophy 2026 semifinal line-up is confirmed

Goa Guardians finish group stage unbeaten as Guardians Trophy 2026 semifinal line-up is confirmed

Hosts top Group A with four wins from four; Ahmedabad Defenders lead Group B as Goa, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mumbai advance to Sunday’s knockouts Panjim, Goa | 15 August 2026: The group stage of the inaugural Guardians Trophy 2026 concluded at the Don Bosco Oratory, Panjim, on Saturday, with Goa Guardians U21, Black Hawks U21, Ahmedabad Defenders U21 and Mumbai Meteors Youth securing their places in Sunday’s knock-outs. After 20 matches across two days featuring the U21 squads of all 10 Prime Volleyball League franchises, hosts Goa Guardians U21 finished as the only unbeaten team in the competition, topping Group A with eight points from four wins in four matches. Goa entered Day 2 having won both of their opening-day encounters and continued their perfect run with a 2-1 victory over Delhi Toofans U21. The hosts then completed their unbeaten group-stage campaign with another 2-1 victory, this time over Bengaluru Torpedoes U21. Behind Goa, the race for the second semifinal position in Group A went down to the wire. Black Hawks U21 and Delhi Toofans U21 both finished on seven points with two wins apiece, with Hyderabad eventually securing second place courtesy of their superior points difference. Hyderabad added an important 2-1 victory over Chennai Blitz on Saturday, while Delhi defeated Hyderabad 2-1 in their final group-stage encounter. Bengaluru also registered their first victory of the competition with a 2-1 win over Chennai. Ahmedabad Defenders U21 finished on top of Group B, ending their four matches with seven points and three victories. Ahmedabad defeated Thunderbolts Army 2-1 on Saturday before Calicut Heroes Next handed them their only defeat of the group stage in the final match, winning 2-1. Mumbai Meteors Youth secured the second semifinal berth, also finishing with seven points and three wins. Mumbai defeated Kochi Blue Spikers 2-1 in a tightly contested opening match of the day. Ahmedabad ultimately finished ahead of Mumbai at the top of Group B on points difference. Kochi Blue Spikers U21 finished third in Group B despite registering a 2-1 victory over Calicut on Saturday, while Calicut closed their campaign on a high with their victory over group winners Ahmedabad. Day 2 Results Match 11 – Group A | Bengaluru 2-1 Chennai Match 12 – Group B | Mumbai 2-1 Kochi Match 13 – Group A | Delhi 1-2 Goa Match 14 – Group B | Ahmedabad 2-1 Kolkata Match 15 – Group A | Chennai 1-2 Hyderabad Match 16 – Group B | Kochi 2-1 Calicut Match 17 – Group A | Bengaluru 1-2 Goa Match 18 – Group B | Mumbai 2-1 Kolkata Match 19 – Group A | Delhi 2-1 Hyderabad Match 20 – Group B | Ahmedabad 1-2 Calicut Final Group Stage Standings Group A 1. Goa Guardians U21 – 8 points – Qualified 2. Black Hawks U21 – 7 points – Qualified 3. Delhi Toofans U21 – 7 points 4. Chennai Blitz U21 – 5 points 5. Torpedoes U21 – 3 points Group B 1. Ahmedabad Defenders U21 – 7 points – Qualified 2. Mumbai Meteors Youth – 7 points – Qualified 3. Kochi Blue Spikers U21 – 6 points 4. Calicut Heroes Next – 5 points 5. Thunderbolts Army – 5 points Sunday’s Knockouts Lineup Semifinal 1 | 8.30 AM | Goa Guardians U21 vs Mumbai Meteors Youth Semifinal 2 | 10:00 AM | Ahmedabad Defenders U21 vs Black Hawks U21 Final | 3.15 PM | Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2 On Sunday, the first Guardians Trophy champion will be crowned.