Hardik Singh Nominated For Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, No Cricketer Among 24 Selected For Arjuna Awards

Last Updated:December 24, 2025, 18:23 IST

Hardik Singh is the sole nominee for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna. Divya Deshmukh, Tejaswin Shankar, and Aarti Pal lead 24 Arjuna awardees. No cricketer is on this year's list.

Hardik Singh is the sole nominee for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award (PTI)

India men’s hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh is the sole nominee for this year’s Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. Teenaged chess star Divya Deshmukh and trailblazing decathlete Tejaswin Shankar are among the 24 selected for the Arjuna awards by the selection committee on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old Hardik has been a key player in India’s midfield and was part of both the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympic Games medal-winning teams. This year, he contributed to India’s Asia Cup gold-winning team.

For the first time, a Yogasan athlete, Aarti Pal, has been recommended for the Arjuna award, five years after the discipline was formally recognised by the Sports Ministry. Aarti is the reigning national and Asian champion in Yogasan, which will be a demonstration sport at the 2026 Asian Games.

Twenty-one other names were finalised for the Arjuna award by the selection panel, which includes Indian Olympic Association (IOA) vice president Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat, and former hockey player M M Somaya.

The 19-year-old Deshmukh is the first Indian woman to win the World Cup. Fellow chess player Vidit Gujrathi, along with Tejaswin Shankar, who won a historic silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games and another silver at the Asian Championships, have also been recommended for the Arjuna award.

Rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, a two-time World Championship bronze medallist and multiple-time medallist at the Asian Championships, gymnast Pranati Nayak, and India’s top women’s badminton duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are also among the Arjuna award nominees. Gayatri is the daughter of national badminton coach and former All England champion Pullela Gopichand.

Notably, the list does not include any cricketer. The last cricketer to receive the honour was pacer Mohammed Shami in 2023.

The Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting honour, includes a medallion, a citation, and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, while the Arjuna award comes with a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh.

Last year, the Khel Ratna was awarded to four athletes: world champion chess player D Gukesh, men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, para-athlete Praveen Kumar, and shooter Manu Bhaker.

National Sports Awards Recommendations

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna: Hardik Singh (Hockey)

Arjuna Awards: 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 (Yoga), Treesa Jolly (Badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (Badminton), Lalremsiami (Hockey), Mohammed Afsal (Athletics), Pooja (Kabaddi).

News sports Hardik Singh Nominated For Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, No Cricketer Among 24 Selected For Arjuna Awards

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