Navneet Kaur, Hardik Singh and Zafar Iqbal win top honours at Hockey India awards
Navneet Kaur, Hardik Singh and Zafar Iqbal were named Players of the Year at the Hockey India annual awards, while Zafar Iqbal received the lifetime achievement honour. Several players were recognised for milestones and performances across major international tournaments
Hyderabad: The Hockey India eighth annual awards celebrated the finest performers and contributors to Indian hockey over the past year, bringing together players, officials, and Member Units for a gathering that recognised excellence across the sport on Friday.
Navneet Kaur and Hardik Singh were honoured with the coveted Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year 2025 (Rs 20 lakh each) in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively. Zafar Iqbal, who played an integral part in India’s gold medal win at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games and also won two silver medals at the Asian Games in 1978 and 1982, along with a bronze medal at the Champions Trophy in 1982, received the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award.
The gold medal-winning Men’s Hockey Team from the Hero Asia Cup Rajgir, Bihar 2025 were felicitated during the ceremony, with each player receiving Rs 3 lakh and the support staff receiving Rs 1.5 lakh each. The bronze medal-winning Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team from the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 were also honoured, with players receiving Rs 5 lakh each and support staff receiving Rs 2.5 lakh each.
Earlier in the day, Raghu Prasad RV was honoured for being named the FIH Umpire of the Year for 2025, while Ishika was recognised for scoring a goal on her debut against Uruguay during the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Hyderabad, Telangana. Deepika was recognised for winning the Poligras Magic Skill Award, while Abhishek was honoured for being named Player of the Tournament at the Hero Asia Cup Rajgir, Bihar 2025.
Landmark individual milestones achieved in service of the nation were also recognised during the ceremony. Manpreet Singh led the list after completing 400 international caps and received Rs 4 lakh. Harmanpreet Singh received Rs 2.5 lakh for reaching 250 international caps. 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 completing 150 international caps. Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, and Dilpreet Singh received Rs 1 lakh each for completing 100 international caps.
Key winners: Rs 5 lakh – Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year – Bichu Devi Kharibam.
Rs 5 lakh – Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year – Sanjay.
Rs 5 lakh – Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year – Sumit.
Rs 5 lakh – Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year – Sukhjeet Singh.
Rs 10 lakh – Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – Under 21) – Sakshi Rana.
Rs 10 lakh – Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – Under 21) – Prince Deep Singh.
Rs 20 lakh – Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year (Women) – Navneet Kaur.
Rs 20 lakh – Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year (Men) – Hardik Singh.
Rs 25 lakh – Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award – Zafar Iqbal.
