Indian Women’s team captain Savita Punia, midfielder Navneet Kaur, men’s team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, drag-flicker and captain Harmanpreet Singh and Hardik Singh have been nominated in multiple categories for the upcoming Hockey India Annual Awards.
A total of INR 1.35 crore in prize money and a trophy in each category will be handed out on March 17. Hockey India has released the list of nominations on Thursday. The nominees will be recognized for their contributions towards Indian hockey in the 2022 calendar year.
The shortlisted nominees have made it to the list of 33 nominations across eight categories. The Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of The Year for both men and women categories carries a cash prize of INR 25 lakh each along with a trophy. The Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award and the Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year, given to the U-21 players, include a cash prize of INR 10 lakhs and trophies.
The Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year, Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year, Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year, and Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year each carry cash prizes of INR 5 lakhs and trophies each. There are also special categories such as the Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement 2022, and the Hockey India Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution 2022, which carries a prize purse of INR 5 lakhs.
The Hockey India President Award for Umpire/Umpire Manager of the Year 2022 and the Hockey India President Award for Technical Official of the Year 2022 will also be awarded on the occasion. The Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award will carry the highest cash purse of INR 30 lakhs.
President of Hockey India Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey said, “Every player eagerly anticipates the Hockey India Annual Awards, and we are happy to honour their excellent efforts. It was difficult to narrow down the nominees after watching some stellar performances from both the men’s and women’s teams in the recent past. I think that these prizes will motivate our athletes to excel and win more honours in hockey for the nation.” Meanwhile, Secretary General of Hockey India Bhola Nath Singh stated that the awards have a legacy of being a big motivating factor for players, umpires, and technical officials who will be recognized for their efforts in the successful conduct of tournaments.
The Nominees:
Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year (INR 5,00,000 + trophy): Savita, PR Sreejesh, Krishan B Pathak, Bichu Devi Kharibam,
Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year (INR 5,00,000 + trophy): Amit Rohidas, Deep Grace Ekka, Harmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar,
Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year (INR 5,00,000 + trophy): Navneet Kaur, Hardik Singh, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Manpreet Singh, Neha
Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year (INR 5,00,000 + trophy): Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Vandana Katariya, Abhishek,
Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women U-21 — INR 10,00,000 + trophy): Vaishnavi Phalke, Sangita Kumari, Mumtaz Khan, Salima Tete
Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men U-21 — INR 10,00,000 + trophy): Vishnukant Singh, Sanjay, Uttam Singh, Shardanand Tiwari
Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of The Year (Women – INR 25,00,000 + trophy): Neha, Navneet Kaur, Savita, Vandana Katariya
Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of The Year (Men — INR 25,00,000 + trophy): Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, PR Sreejesh.