Hardik Singh the only recommendation for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award
No cricketer in National Sports Awards 2025 shortlist
Selection committee features Gagan Narang, Aparna Popat and MM Somaya
No cricketer made the National Sports Awards 2025 shortlist recommended by the selection committee in New Delhi on Wednesday (December 24, 2025). India men's hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh was the only recommendation for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna honour, while 20-year-old chess Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh and pioneering decathlete Tejaswin Shankar were among the 24 nominated for the Arjuna awards.
Hardik, 27, has been India's midfield mainstay and was a member of the medal-bagging teams at the Tokyo, as well as Paris Olympic Games. In 2025, he was a part of India's Asia Cup gold-winning side.
Meanwhile, Aarti Pal, a Yogasan athlete, has been recommended for the Arjuna award, five years after it was formally recognised by the Union sports ministry, PTI reported. Aarti is the reigning national and Asian champion in the discipline that would be a demonstration sport at the 2026 Asian Games.
The selection committee features Indian Olympic Association vice-president Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat and former hockey player MM Somaya, among others.
Deshmukh is the first Indian to win the FIDE Women's World Cup. Fellow chess player Vidit Gujrathi has also been recommended for the Arjuna alongside Tejaswin Shankar, who clinched a historic silver medal in the Asian Games in 2023 and followed it up with a second-place finish in the Asian Championships earlier this year.
Rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, a two-time World Championship bronze-winner besides being a multiple-time medallist at the Asian Championships, gymnast Pranati Nayak and India's highest-ranked women's doubles badminton combo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are also among the recommendations for the Arjuna.
Gayatri is the daughter of national badminton coach and former All England champion Pullela Gopichand.
Out-of-favour India seamer Mohammed Shami was the last cricketer to receive the Arjuna award, in 2023.
The Khel Ratna, which is the country's highest sporting honour, comes with a medallion, a citation and a cash prize of INR 25 lakh, while the Arjuna award makes the winner richer by 15 lakh.
Last year, the Khel Ratna was bestowed on four sportspersons — world champion chess player D Gukesh, men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh, para athlete Praveen Kumar and Olympic double medallist shooter Manu Bhaker.
National Sports Awards Recommendations List
Major Dhyan Chand 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).
(With PTI inputs)
