&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "National Sports Awards 2025: Hardik Singh lone Khel Ratna nominee, 24 named for Arjuna Awards")
Indian men’s hockey vice-captain Hardik Singh has emerged as the sole nominee for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award as the list for the National Sports Awards 2025 was finalised on Wednesday (Dec 24). Alongside him, 24 sportspersons from different disciplines have been shortlisted for the Arjuna Awards, highlighting a strong mix of youth, experience, and consistent performance across sports.
Hardik’s nomination comes as recognition of his long-standing contribution to Indian hockey. A key figure in the midfield, he has been central to India’s success in recent years. He played a vital role in India’s Olympic medal-winning campaigns at Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 and was also part of the squad that clinched gold at the Asia Cup earlier this year. His work rate, leadership, and ability to control the tempo of the game have made him one of India’s most reliable players.
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Notably, no cricketer has been shortlisted for this year’s National Sports Awards. Mohammed Shami remains the last cricketer to receive the Khel Ratna, which he won in 2023.
The selection panel met in New Delhi and carefully reviewed performances before finalising the names. The panel included Indian Olympic Association vice-president Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat, and former hockey player MM Somaya.
Apart from Hardik, the Arjuna Awards list features athletes from a wide range of sports such as athletics, boxing, shooting, wrestling, badminton, chess, hockey, kabaddi, and more. Young stars like chess players Divya Deshmukh and Vidit Gujrathi have found a place on the list, along with experienced names like shooter Mehuli Ghosh and wrestler Sonam Malik.
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The final awards ceremony is expected to take place later, where these athletes will be honoured for their dedication and impact on Indian sport.
List of nominees
- Khel Ratna: Hardik Singh (Hockey)
- Arjuna Awards: Tejaswin Shankar (Athletics), Priyanka (Athletics), Narender (Boxing), Vidit Gujrathi (Chess), Divya Deshmukh (Chess), Dhanush Srikanth (Deaf Shooting), Pranati Nayak (Gymnastics), Rajkumar Pal (Hockey), Surjeet (Kabaddi), Nirmala Bhati (Kho Kho), Rudransh Khandelwal (Para Shooting), Ekta Bhyan (Para Athletics), Padmanabh Singh (Polo), Arvind Singh (Rowing), Akhil Sheoran (Shooting), Mehuli Ghosh (Shooting), Sutirtha Mukherjee (Table Tennis), Sonam Malik (Wrestling), Aarti (Yoga), Treesa Jolly (Badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (Badminton), Lalremsiami (Hockey), Mohammed Afsal (Athletics), Pooja (Kabaddi)
