Hockey India Awards: Savita, Navneet Kaur, Sreejesh, Harmanpreet nominated in multiple categories

New Delhi: Women’s team captain Savita Punia, midfielder Navneet Kaur, men’s team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, drag-flicker and captain Harmanpreet Singh and Hardik Singh are among those nominated in multiple categories for the Hockey India Annual Awards.

Hockey India on Thursday released the list of nominations for the much-awaited Hockey India Annual Awards. The most coveted awards in Indian hockey will be handed out on March 17. The awards to be given in the Capital carries a total prize money of INR 1.35 crore along with a trophy in each category.

As many as 33 nominations across eight categories have made it to the shortlist of the annual awards. These nominees will be recognised for their contributions towards Indian hockey in the 2022 calendar year.

The Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of The Year Awards in Men and Women’s categories carries a cash prize of INR 25 lakh each plus a trophy. The Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men) and Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women), which are given to U-21 players, include a cash prize of INR 10 lakh each and trophies.

Meanwhile, the Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year Award, Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year, Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year and Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year each carry cash prizes of INR 5 lakh 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 lakh.

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 lakh.

“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,” said Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey, President, Hockey India.

Adding to the President’s views, Bhola Nath Singh, Secretary General of Hockey India, said, “These Awards have a legacy of being a big motivating factor not only for our players but also for umpires and technical officials who will be recognized for their efforts in successful conduct of tournaments. The Hockey India Annual Awards are an integral part of our holistic approach towards develop of the sport across all aspects.”

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.

–IANS