Indian hockey vice-captain Hardik Singh has been recommended for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honor, for 2025. The selection panel, which includes Olympic medalist Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat, and hockey veteran M.M. Somaya, finalized the decision on Wednesday.
Hardik, a key midfielder with 164 international caps, was a vital part of the bronze-winning squads at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics. If confirmed, he will receive a medallion, a citation, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh, joining previous hockey recipients such as PR Sreejesh and Sardar Singh.
The committee also recommended a 24-person list for the Arjuna Award, which includes a ₹15 lakh prize. Among the notable nominees are 19-year-old chess star Divya Deshmukh, the first Indian woman to win the World Cup, and fellow grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi.
Decathlete Tejaswin Shankar also features on the list following his silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games and a second-place finish at this year's Asian Championships. Other prominent names include rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, gymnast Pranati Nayak, and the top-ranked women’s badminton duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.
In a historical first, Yogasana athlete Aarti Pal has been recommended for the Arjuna Award. This comes five years after the Sports Ministry formally recognized the discipline. Aarti is the reigning national and Asian champion in Yogasana, which is scheduled to be a demonstration sport at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
A well-placed source told PTI that her inclusion marks the first time an athlete from this discipline has been shortlisted for the honor. The broader list also features representation from para-athletics, shooting, and kabaddi, including athletes like Ekta Bhyan and Rudransh Khandelwal.
For the second year in a row, no cricketers have been included in the National Sports Awards recommendations, with Mohammed Shami remaining the most recent recipient from the sport in 2023. The full list of Arjuna nominees spans various disciplines, including athletics (Priyanka, Mohammed Ajmal), boxing (Narender), and hockey (Rajkumar Pal, Lalremsiami Hmar Zote).
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: Hardik Singh (hockey)
Arjuna Award: Tejaswin Shankar (athletics), Priyanka (athletics), Narender (boxing), Vidit Gujrathi (chess), Divya Deshmukh (chess), Dhanush Srikanth (deaf shooting), Pranati Nayak (gymnastics), Rajkumar Pal (hockey), Surjeet (kabaddi), Nirmala Bhati (kho kho), Rudransh Khandelwal (para-shooting), Ekta Bhyan (para-athletics), Padmanabh Singh (polo), Arvind Singh (rowing), Akhil Sheoran (shooting), Mehuli Ghosh (shooting), Sutirtha Mukherjee (table tennis), Sonam Malik (wrestling), Aarti Pal (yogasana), Treesa Jolly (badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (badminton), Lalremsiami (hockey), Mohammed Afsal (athletics), Pooja (kabaddi).
