Hockey India Awards 2022: Hardik Singh and Savita Punia became the best player of the year, here's the full list

Hardik Singh and Savita Punia have been selected as the winners of the Hockey India Awards 2022. Hockey India selected midfielder and vice-captain Hardik and women's team captain Savita as the country's best hockey players in the men's and women's categories respectively on Friday.

Also Read: FIH Pro League 2022-23: India beat Australia in the penalty shootout in second leg match

Hardik won the 5th Balbir Singh Senior Hockey India Awards by defeating Manpreet Singh and Harmanpreet Singh. He did an amazing performance in this year's World Cup. India got a 2-0 win over Spain in the first match, in which he scored a goal. Fans had high hopes for Hardik Singh in the Hockey World Cup played this year. However, he could not play further due to a hamstring injury. On the other hand, if we talk about Savita Punia, under her captaincy, India won the Nations Cup and entered the Women's Pro League.

After winning the trophy, Savita Punia said, "I am speechless. This is a tremendous honour for which I am extremely grateful. We performed admirably as a team and winning the inaugural FIH Women's Nations Cup was a watershed moment for all of us. I'd also like to thank my teammates, coach and support staff for their continuous encouragement and hard work in helping the team reach new heights."

Moreover, along with the trophy, Hardik and Savita were given Rs 25 lakh each. The total prize money of the Hockey India Awards was more than two crores 70 lakh rupees. Meanwhile, Hockey India also gave away the 2021 awards as the ceremony could not take place due to the Corona pandemic.

"It's been a fantastic year, and it feels great to be recognised for my efforts. I believe we had a roller coaster year as a team, and there are players who have done exceptionally well this year as well. I honestly feel that I am accepting this honor on behalf of the entire team." Hardik Singh said.

Meanwhile, Major Dhyanchand Lifetime Achievement Award has been awarded to Gurbux Singh, who was a member of the Indian team that won gold in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Whereas Amit Singh Bakshi got this award for 2021. In addition, Amit was a member of the gold medalist Indian team of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Also Read: FIH Hockey Pro League 2022: Defender Harmanpreet Singh gets 'Hero Top Scorer Award'

At the same time, the best defender of 2022 goes to current captain Harmanpreet Singhin in the Hockey India Awards. While Krishan B Pathak achieved the best goalkeeper of 2022. Whereas, the best female midfielder goes to Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam and Vandana Katariya got the Dhanraj Pillay Award for Best Forward. Mumtaz Khan and Uttam Singh were adjudged the best-emerging sportspersons. On this occasion, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, and Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar gave Hockey India Awards to the players.

Hockey India Awards 2022 winners: Full List

• Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award - Gurbux Singh
• Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year (men) - Hardik Singh
• Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year (women) - Savita Punia
• Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (U21 men) - Uttam Singh
• Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (U21 women) - Mumtaz Khan
• Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year - Vandana Katariya
• Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year - Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam
• Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year - Harmanpreet Singh
• Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year - Krishan B Pathak
• Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution - Pritam Siwach
• President's Award for Outstanding Achievement - Hockey Ace Foundation
• President Award for Umpire/Umpire Manager - Gurinder Singh Sangha 
• President Award for Technical Official - Mohd Mogul Muneer

Hockey India Awards 2021 winners:

• Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year (men) - Harmanpreet Singh
• Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year (women) - Savita Punia
• Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award - Amit Singh Bakshi