International stars Navneet Kaur and Hardik Singh were named Players of the Year, while former India captain Zafar Iqbal received the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hockey India 8th Annual Awards held in New Delhi on Friday.
Navneet and Hardik were honoured with the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year 2025 in the women’s and men’s categories, respectively, each receiving a cash prize of ₹20 lakh. Hardik, notably, claimed the honour for the third time in his career.
Zafar Iqbal, a key member of India’s gold medal-winning team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, which carries a prize of ₹25 lakh, in recognition of his immense contribution to Indian hockey.
Earlier in the day, Raghu Prasad RV was recognised for being named FIH Umpire of the Year 2025, while Ishika was honoured for scoring on her debut during the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Hyderabad. Deepika received the Poligras Magic Skill Award, and Abhishek was named Player of the Tournament at the Asia Cup Rajgir 2025.
Udita was also recognised for her Player of the Tournament performance at the Women’s Asia Cup 2025 in Hangzhou, while Navneet Kaur earned another accolade for her standout show at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.
In team honours, the gold medal-winning Indian men’s team from the 2025 Asia Cup in Rajgir was felicitated, with players receiving ₹3 lakh each and support staff ₹1.5 lakh. The bronze medal-winning Indian junior men’s team from the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 were also rewarded, with players receiving ₹5 lakh each.
The Indian men’s and women’s teams were further awarded performance incentives, with the men’s side receiving ₹1.38 crore and the women’s team ₹69 lakh for their international victories.
Among individual category awards, Bichu Devi Kharibam was named Goalkeeper of the Year, while Sanjay (defender), Sumit (midfielder), and Sukhjeet Singh (forward) were also honoured, each receiving ₹5 lakh.
In the emerging category, Prince Deep Singh (men’s U-21) and Sakshi Rana (women’s U-21) were named Upcoming Players of the Year, taking home ₹10 lakh each.
In the officials’ category, Sourabh Singh Rajput was named Umpire/Umpire Manager of the Year, while Biswaranjan Sarangi received the Technical Official of the Year award.
Hockey Jharkhand was named Best Member Unit of the Year, while Sardar Sarpal Singh and Manoj Konbegi were honoured for their outstanding contributions to the sport.
Several players were also recognised for milestone achievements, including Manpreet Singh for completing 400 international caps and Harmanpreet Singh for reaching 250 caps.
The ceremony was attended by Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse, along with several former players and dignitaries, celebrating excellence and contributions across Indian hockey.