Hardik Singh Nominated for Khel Ratna; No Cricketer Among 24 Arjuna Awardees

• Hardik Singh, India men’s hockey team vice-captain, is the sole nominee for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.
• 24 athletes, including chess star Divya Deshmukh and decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, selected for Arjuna Awards.
• Aarti Pal is the first Yogasan athlete recommended for the Arjuna award, five years after its formal recognition.
• Notably, no cricketer has been recommended for the Arjuna award this year; Mohammed Shami was the last in 2023.
• Hardik Singh was a key player in India’s 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympic medal-winning hockey teams.

Why It Matters: Hardik Singh gets Khel Ratna nod; 24 including Divya Deshmukh, Tejaswin Shankar for Arjuna, no cricketers.