GURGAON: Army XI defeated Punjab National Bank (PNB) 2-1 to reach the final of the 20th Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament at the Nehru Stadium here on Friday. South Central Railway (SCR) edged past Air India 1-0 in another semifinal.

Army XI drew first blood through Rajesh Lakra, who made no mistake in converting the penalty stroke awarded in the fifth minute. Chitranjan then found the target in the 52nd minute to extend the lead.

Lakhwinder Singh made the most of a penalty corner in the 58th minute to reduce the margin for PNB.

Janardhan Gupta’s lone goal helped SCR reach the final. Gupta converted a short corner in the 54th minute to emerge as the hero for the Railway side.

The final will be shown live on DD Sports channel from 2.30 p.m. onwards on Saturday.