Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award Winners Complete List
The Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award is India’s highest sporting honor, established in 1991 to recognize exceptional sports performance at the international level. Originally known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the award was renamed in 2021 to honor Major Dhyanchand, one of the greatest field hockey players of all time.
This prestigious award is presented annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding performance in sports over four years. As of 2023, there have been 59 recipients across a range of disciplines, including athletics, cricket, shooting, and para-sports.
The award consists of a medallion, certificate, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh. Let’s explore the complete list of Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award winners and their respective sports disciplines.
How Khel Ratna Award Winners Are Selected
The selection process for the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award involves a thorough evaluation by a 12-member committee formed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The committee assesses each athlete’s performance in international events like the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. After evaluation, the committee submits its recommendations to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for approval.
Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award Winners List
| Year | Receiver | Discipline |
|---|---|---|
| 1991–1992 | Viswanathan Anand | Chess |
| 1992–1993 | Geet Sethi | Billiards |
| 1993–1994 | Homi Motivala, Pushpendra Kumar Garg | Yachting |
| 1994–1995 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting |
| 1995–1996 | Nameirakpam Kunjarani | Weightlifting |
| 1996–1997 | Leander Paes | Tennis |
| 1997–1998 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket |
| 1998–1999 | Jyotirmoyee Sikdar | Athletics |
| 1999–2000 | Dhanraj Pillay | Hockey |
| 2000–2001 | Pullela Gopichand | Badminton |
| 2001 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting |
| 2002 | K. M. Beenamol, Anjali Bhagwat | Athletics, Shooting |
| 2003 | Anju Bobby George | Athletics |
| 2004 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting |
| 2005 | Pankaj Advani | Billiards and Snooker |
| 2006 | Manavjit Singh Sandhu | Shooting |
| 2007 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Cricket |
| 2009 | Mary Kom, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar | Boxing, Freestyle wrestling |
| 2010 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton |
| 2011 | Gagan Narang | Shooting |
| 2012 | Vijay Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt | Shooting, Freestyle wrestling |
| 2013 | Ronjan Sodhi | Shooting |
| 2015 | Sania Mirza | Tennis |
| 2016 | PV Sindhu, Dipa Karmakar, Jitu Rai, Sakshi Malik | Badminton, Gymnastics, Shooting, Freestyle wrestling |
| 2017 | Devendra Jhajharia, Sardara Singh | Para-athletics, Hockey |
| 2018 | Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, Virat Kohli | Weightlifting, Cricket |
| 2019 | Deepa Malik, Bajrang Punia | Para-athletics, Freestyle wrestling |
| 2020 | Manika Batra, Rohit Sharma, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Vinesh Phogat, Rani Rampal | Table Tennis, Cricket, Para-athletics, Freestyle wrestling, Hockey |
| 2021 | Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Lovlina Borgohain, P. R. Sreejesh, Avani Lekhara, Sumit Antil, Pramod Bhagat, Krishna Nagar, Manish Narwal, Mithali Raj, Sunil Chhetri, Manpreet Singh | Athletics, Freestyle wrestling, Boxing, Hockey, Para-shooting, Para-athletics, Para-badminton, Cricket, Football |
| 2022 | Sharath Kamal | Table Tennis |
| 2023 | Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy | Badminton |
| 2024 | Manu Bhaker, D Gukesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Praveen Kumar | Shooting, Chess, Hockey, Para-athletics |
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