Young striker Hardik Singh ,veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, drag flicker and Captain Harmanpreet Singh, Women’s team goalkeeper Savita and forward Navneet Kaur are among the 33 shortlisted players across eight categories for the Hockey India (HI) annual awards.
HI on Thursday released the list of nominations for the most coveted awards to be presented here on March 17. The awards carry a total prize money of Rs 1.35 crore along with a trophy in each category.
The Hockey India (HI) Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award will carry the highest cash purse of Rs 30 lakh.
The HI Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of The Year Awards in Men and Women’s categories carries a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh each plus a trophy. The HI Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men) and HI Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women), given to U-21 players, include a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh each and trophies.
The HI Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year Award, 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 Rs 5 lakh and trophies each.
There are also special categories such as the HI President Award for Outstanding Achievement and the HI Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution carrying prize purse of Rs 5 lakh.
The HI 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.
“Every player eagerly anticipates the HI 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 HI president Dilip Tirkey,
HI secretary general Bhola Nath Singh, opined “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 HI nnual 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.