A shocking decision has come this year regarding the country’s biggest sports honor Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna. It has been decided not to give Khel Ratna to any player for the year 2024–25. The special thing is that no cricketer is included in this year’s list. The names of women’s cricket legends Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana were also discussed, but the selection committee has not approved their names.

Hardik Singh’s name in discussion

Amidst the debate regarding Khel Ratna, the name of Indian hockey team midfielder Hardik Singh also came up. Seeing his consistently good performance in the Olympics and international tournaments, many veterans called him a strong contender for the Khel Ratna. However, in the final decision, the selection committee decided not to give this honor to anyone this year.

Long list of Arjuna Award

While there is silence on Khel Ratna, the nomination list for Arjuna Award is quite long. It includes players from many different sports, not just cricket, which shows the increasing diversity of sports in India.

The names being considered for the Arjuna Award include Tejaswin Shankar and Priyanka (athletics), Narendra (boxing), Vidit Gujarati and Divya Deshmukh (chess), Dhanush Srikanth (def shooting), Pranati Nayak (gymnastics), Rajkumar Pal and Lalremsiami (hockey), Surjit and Pooja (kabaddi), Rudransh Khandelwal (para shooting), Ekta Bhayan (para athletics), Akhil Sheoran and Names like Mehuli Ghosh (shooting), Sutirtha Mukherjee (table tennis), Sonam Malik (wrestling), Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand (badminton) are included.

Indian sports progressing beyond cricket

Overall, the decision of not giving Khel Ratna may be controversial, but the list of Arjuna Awards makes it clear that apart from cricket, players of many sports in India are performing brilliantly at the international level. Now everyone’s eyes are on the final announcement of the selection committee.

Hardik Singh, considered the backbone of the midfield of Indian hockey, has been nominated for the country’s biggest sports honour, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Hardik’s role was very important in the team that won bronze medals for India in Tokyo Olympics 2021 and Paris Olympics 2024. In view of his consistently excellent performance in the last two years, the selection committee has recommended his name.

Hockey warrior from Punjab

27 year old Hardik Singh was born in Khusropur village of Punjab. For him, hockey is not just a game but a heritage. His father Varinderpreet Singh Rai himself was a hockey player, while grandfather Pritam Singh Rai was a hockey coach. Hardik learned the basics of hockey under his grandfather’s coaching. His uncles Gurmail Singh and Jugraj Singh have also been international hockey players. The special thing is that Gurmail Singh was a part of the Indian team that won gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Team control in midfield

Hardik Singh has been playing for the Indian senior team since 2018. As a midfielder, he controls the team’s play and creates a strong link between defense and attack. Till now he has played 166 international matches for India.

Apart from Olympic bronze, Hardik has played in the Indian team that won gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games. Along with this, he was included in the team that won gold in the Asia Cup 2025 played in Rajgir. Due to his consistent performance in big tournaments, he has become a reliable player of the team.

Selected hockey players to receive Khel Ratna

If Hardik Singh is honored with the Khel Ratna, he will be the seventh hockey player to receive this award. Before him, Dhanraj Pillai, Sardar Singh, Rani Rampal, PR Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh and Harmanpreet Singh have received this honour.

Arjuna Award also recommended

The committee of the Sports Ministry has also suggested the names of 24 players for the Arjun Award this year. These include Tejaswin Shankar (Athletics), Priyanka (Athletics), Narendra (Boxing), Vidit Gujarati (Chess), Divya Deshmukh (Chess), Dhanush Srikanth (Def Shooting), Pranati Nayak (Gymnastics), Rajkumar Pal (Hockey), Surjeet (Kabaddi), Nirmala Bhati (Kho-Kho), Rudransh Khandelwal (Para-Shooting), Ekta Bhayan (Para-Athletics), Padmanabh Singh. (Polo), Arvind Singh (Rowing), Akhil Sheoran (Shooting), Mehuli Ghosh (Shooting), Sutirtha Mukherjee (Table Tennis), Sonam Malik (Wrestling), Aarti Pal (Yoga), Trisha Jolly (Badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (Badminton), Lalremsiami (Hockey), Mohammad Afsal (Athletics), Pooja (Kabaddi).