Hockey India awards: Hardik, Navneet win Player-of-the-Year awards

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Navneet Kaur and Hardik Singh

The eighth yearly Hockey India (HI) awards was held present connected Friday day to recognise the standout performances during the 2025 season.

Hardik Singh and Navneet Kaur walked distant with the Player-of-the-Year awards successful the men’s and women’s categories respectively. The Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed connected Zafar Iqbal, 69, who was portion of the gold-winning Indian squad astatine the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

The juncture besides saw 31-year-old Gurjant Singh denote his status from planetary hockey. The guardant was portion of the bronze-winning teams successful the past 2 Olympics.

Hardik and Navneet earned a prize wealth of ₹20 lakh each. The erstwhile had won the apical idiosyncratic honour successful 2023 and 2024 too.

“Receiving this grant is the highest honour for immoderate Indian hockey subordinate and I’m grateful to Hockey India for this recognition,” the 27-year-old Hardik said.

“This grant has lone been imaginable due to the fact that of the enactment of my family, teammates and coaches who pushed maine done pugnacious moments, particularly during the Asia Cup triumph.”

The midfielder was besides felicitated arsenic portion of the victorious men’s squad astatine the Asia Cup successful Rajgir past year. Each subordinate received ₹3 lakh portion the coaching staff, helmed by Craig Fulton, was fixed ₹1.5 lakh each. The inferior men’s team, which won bronze astatine the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup successful Tamil Nadu successful 2025, was besides honoured, with players receiving ₹5 lakh each and enactment unit receiving ₹2.5 lakh each. The past grant of the day was presented to Iqbal. Besides his Olympics gold, the erstwhile India skipper besides won 2 metallic medals astatine the 1978 and 1982 Asian Games.

“I americium thankful to Hockey India that you person recognised this tiny subordinate with specified a large award. My wishes are ever with the Indian team,” Iqbal said.