No cricketer to get Arjuna Award this year:Yogasana athlete to receive prestigious honour for 1st time; Hockey player Hardik Singh crowned with Khel Ratna

Hardik Singh, vice-captain of the Indian hockey team, will receive the 2025 Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Hardik is the only player whose name has been recommended by the selection committee. 27-year-old Hardik Singh has been a part of the Indian team that won medals at the Tokyo 2021 and Paris Olympics 2024. He played a crucial role in winning the gold medal at the Asia Cup held this year. At the selection committee meeting on Wednesday, names were recommended for the Arjuna Award. It included IOA Vice President Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat, and former hockey player MM Somaya. The committee has selected 24 players for the Arjuna Award, including chess player Divya Deshmukh and decathlon athlete Tejaswin Shankar. This time, there is no cricketer’s name on the list of sports awards. Yogasana player to get Arjuna Award for the 1st time For the first time, Aarti Pal, a player associated with the sport of Yogasana, has been recommended for the Arjuna Award. A Yogasana player has been selected 5 years after receiving recognition from the Ministry of Sports. Aarti is currently a national and Asian champion. Yogasana will be included as a demonstration sport in the 2026 Asian Games. No cricketer’s name recommended for prestigious award No cricketer’s name is included in this list. Earlier, Mohammed Shami received this honour in 2023. Khel Ratna is the country’s highest sports honour, which includes a medal, a citation, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh. While under the Arjuna Award, ₹15 lakh is given. Also Read: BCCI remains richest cricket board despite ending ₹358-cr Dream11 deal:Indian board’s projected income is ₹8,963 crore for FY 2025-26 Divya, the first female chess player to receive the Arjuna Award 20-year-old Divya Deshmukh is the first Indian woman chess player to win the World Cup. Chess player Vidit Gujrathi has also been selected for the Arjuna Award. Meanwhile, Tejaswin Shankar won silver at the 2023 Asian Games. He also finished second in the Asian Championship this year. Rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, gymnast Pranati Nayak, and women’s badminton’s number one pair Treesa Jolly–Gayatri Gopichand are also included in the recommendations for the Arjuna Award. Mehuli has won bronze twice in the World Championship. Gayatri is the daughter of national badminton coach and former All England champion Pullela Gopichand.