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

The eighth annual Hockey India (HI) awards was held here on Friday afternoon to recognise the standout performances during the 2025 season.

Hardik Singh and Navneet Kaur walked away with the Player-of-the-Year awards in the men’s and women’s categories respectively. The Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed on Zafar Iqbal, 69, who was part of the gold-winning Indian team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

The occasion also saw 31-year-old Gurjant Singh announce his retirement from international hockey. The forward was part of the bronze-winning teams in the last two Olympics.

Hardik and Navneet earned a prize money of ₹20 lakh each. The former had won the top individual honour in 2023 and 2024 too.

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

“This award has only been possible because of the support of my family, teammates and coaches who pushed me through tough moments, especially during the Asia Cup triumph.”

The midfielder was also felicitated as part of the victorious men’s team at the Asia Cup in Rajgir last year. Each player received ₹3 lakh while the coaching staff, helmed by Craig Fulton, was given ₹1.5 lakh each. The junior men’s team, which won bronze at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Tamil Nadu in 2025, was also honoured, with players receiving ₹5 lakh each and support staff receiving ₹2.5 lakh each. The last award of the afternoon was presented to Iqbal. Besides his Olympics gold, the former India captain also won two silver medals at the 1978 and 1982 Asian Games.

“I am thankful to Hockey India that you have recognised this small player with such a big award. My wishes are always with the Indian team,” Iqbal said.

Awards

Goalkeeper of the Year: Bichu Devi Kharibam

Defender of the Year: Sanjay Rana

Midfielder of the Year: Sumit

Forward of the Year: Sukhjeet Singh

Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – Under-21): Sakshi Rana

Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – Under-21): Prince Deep Singh

Player of the Year (Women): Navneet Kaur

Player of the Year (Men): Hardik Singh

Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award: Zafar Iqbal