Hardik Singh and Navneet Kaur Crowned Hockey India Players of the Year

Celebrating Excellence in Indian Hockey

On Friday, Hardik Singh, a standout midfielder, and striker Navneet Kaur were awarded the prestigious Hockey India Player of the Year honors for men and women, respectively.

The awards were presented during a lavish ceremony in the capital, which recognized the top performers from the past year.

Zafar Iqbal, a former captain of the Indian team and a member of the gold medal-winning squad at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, received the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award.

Both Hardik and Navneet were celebrated with the Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year 2025, each receiving a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh.

Iqbal, who also earned two silver medals at the Asian Games in 1978 and 1982, along with a bronze at the 1982 Champions Trophy, was awarded Rs 25 lakh for his contributions to Indian hockey.

The Balbir Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year was awarded to Bichu Devi Kharibam from the women's team, while Sanjay received the Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year, with both awards including a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.

Sanjay also took home the Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year, while Sukhjeet Singh was honored with the Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year, each earning Rs 5 lakh.

Sakshi Rana was recognized with the Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women, U-21), while Prince Deep Singh, a key player in last year’s Junior World Cup bronze medal-winning team, received the Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year in the U-21 men’s category, both winning Rs 10 lakh.

Earlier in the day, Raghu Prasad RV was celebrated as the FIH Umpire of the Year for 2025, and Ishika was acknowledged for scoring on her debut against Uruguay during the FIH World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Hyderabad.

Deepika was awarded the Poligras Magic Skill Award, while Abhishek was recognized as Player of the Tournament at the Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar 2025.

Udita was honored as Player of the Tournament at the Women’s Asia Cup in Hangzhou, China 2025, and Navneet was recognized as Player of the Tournament at the FIH World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Hyderabad.

All individual awardees received Rs 1 lakh each.

Seven member units were also rewarded with Rs 10 lakh each for their performances at the 15th National Championships in 2025, including Jharkhand, Haryana, Mizoram, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh.

The gold medal-winning men’s hockey team from the Asia Cup in Rajgir was celebrated, with each player receiving Rs 3 lakh and support staff getting Rs 1.5 lakh each.

The Indian junior men’s team, which won a bronze medal at the World Cup, was also honored, with players receiving Rs 5 lakh each and support staff earning Rs 2.5 lakh each.

Both the men’s and women’s national hockey teams received incentives for every international match won, with the men earning Rs 1.38 crore and the women Rs 69 lakh.

In the officials’ category, Sourabh Singh Rajput was awarded the Hockey India President Award for Umpire/Umpire Manager of the Year 2025 (Rs 2.5 lakh), while Biswaranjan Sarangi received the Hockey India President Award for Technical Official of the Year 2025 (Rs 2.5 lakh).

Jharkhand was named Best Member Unit of the Year 2025 (Rs 2.5 lakh) for its contributions to hockey development in the region.

The Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement 2025 (Rs 5 lakh) was given to Sardar Sarpal Singh from Roundglass Punjab Hockey Academy, while Manoj Konbegi received the Hockey India Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution 2025 (Rs 5 lakh).

Significant individual milestones achieved in service to the nation were also acknowledged during the event.

Manpreet Singh led the list after reaching 400 international caps and received Rs 4 lakh. Harmanpreet Singh was awarded Rs 2.5 lakh for achieving 250 international caps, while Navneet Kaur and Nikki Pradhan received Rs 2 lakh each for completing 200 international caps.

Hardik Singh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Nilakanta Sharma, Jarmanpreet Singh, and Salima Tete were awarded Rs 1.5 lakh each for reaching 150 international caps. Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, and Dilpreet Singh received Rs 1 lakh each for achieving 100 international caps.

The event was graced by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who presented the main awards, alongside his deputy Raksha Khadse, Hockey India officials, former players, and other dignitaries.

During his speech, Mandaviya emphasized the importance of sports in propelling the nation forward and highlighted India's ambition to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic Games.

He expressed pride in Indian hockey's rich legacy of 100 years, which has brought home eight Olympic medals, and felt honored to present awards to players who have made the country proud.