India’s Highest Sports Honour: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award stands as the highest symbol of honour for Indian athletes. It not only celebrates excellence but also inspires future generations to shine at the global stage.
The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is India’s highest sporting honour, presented for exceptional performance at the international level. Launched in 1991–92, this award recognizes athletes who deliver outstanding achievements over a period of four years. Named after hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, it is one of the most prestigious awards in Indian sports.
Established in 1991–92 with Viswanathan Anand as its first recipient, the award — earlier called the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and renamed in 2021 after legendary hockey great Major Dhyan Chand — stands as India’s highest sporting honour; awarded to over 50 outstanding athletes to date, it encourages sustained, top-level international performance over a period of four years.
Major Dhyan Chand khel Ratna Award Winner List:
| Year | Recipient Name | Sport / Field | Notes | Description |
| 1991–1992 | Viswanathan Anand | Chess | — | Awarded for becoming India’s first chess Grandmaster and dominating international events. |
| 1992–1993 | Geet Sethi | Billiards | — | Honoured for world-class achievements in English billiards. |
| 1993–1994 | Homi Motivala | Yachting | Team Event | Awarded for outstanding performance in international sailing competitions. |
| 1993–1994 | Pushpendra Kumar Garg | Yachting | Team Event | Recognised alongside Motivala for excellence in yachting. |
| 1994–1995 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting | — | Celebrated for world championship medals and lifting India’s profile in weightlifting. |
| 1995–1996 | Nameirakpam Kunjarani | Weightlifting | — | Honoured for dominating Asian and world weightlifting events. |
| 1996–1997 | Leander Paes | Tennis | — | Awarded for medal-winning performances in major tennis tournaments. |
| 1997–1998 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket | — | Recognised for extraordinary feats and records in international cricket. |
| 1998–1999 | Jyotirmoyee Sikdar | Athletics | — | Awarded for medal-winning performances in middle-distance running. |
| 1999–2000 | Dhanraj Pillay | Hockey | — | Honoured for leadership and excellence in Indian hockey. |
| 2000–2001 | Pullela Gopichand | Badminton | — | Awarded for winning the All England Badminton Championship. |
| 2001 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting | — | Honoured for exceptional achievements in rifle shooting. |
| 2002 | K. M. Beenamol | Athletics | Joint Award | Awarded for Asian Games medals in track events. |
| 2002 | Anjali Bhagwat | Shooting | Joint Award | Recognised for dominating world shooting championships. |
| 2003 | Anju Bobby George | Athletics | — | Awarded for winning India’s first World Athletics medal (long jump). |
| 2004 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting | — | Recognised for Olympic silver and consistent excellence in double trap shooting. |
| 2005 | Pankaj Advani | Billiards & Snooker | — | Awarded for multiple world titles in cue sports. |
| 2006 | Manavjit Singh Sandhu | Shooting | — | Honoured for achievements in trap shooting at world events. |
| 2007 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Cricket | — | Awarded for leading India to major cricketing victories. |
| 2008 | No Award | — | — | No recipient selected for this year. |
| 2009 | Mary Kom | Boxing | Joint Award | Honoured for world titles in women’s boxing. |
| 2009 | Vijender Singh | Boxing | Joint Award | Awarded for Olympic and world-level boxing achievements. |
| 2009 | Sushil Kumar | Freestyle Wrestling | Joint Award | Recognised for Olympic and world championship medals. |
| 2010 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton | — | Awarded for breakthrough international badminton triumphs. |
| 2011 | Gagan Narang | Shooting | — | Honoured for world-class rifle shooting performances. |
| 2012 | Vijay Kumar | Shooting | Joint Award | Recognised for Olympic medal and excellence in rapid-fire pistol. |
| 2012 | Yogeshwar Dutt | Freestyle Wrestling | Joint Award | Awarded for Olympic and international wrestling medals. |
| 2013 | Ronjan Sodhi | Shooting | — | Honoured for achievements in double trap shooting. |
| 2014 | No Award | — | — | No recipient selected for this year. |
| 2015 | Sania Mirza | Tennis | — | Recognised for Grand Slam titles and world No. 1 ranking in doubles. |
| 2016 | P. V. Sindhu | Badminton | Joint Award | Awarded for Olympic silver medal in badminton. |
| 2016 | Dipa Karmakar | Gymnastics | Joint Award | Honoured for historic 4th-place Olympic finish (Produnova vault). |
| 2016 | Jitu Rai | Shooting | Joint Award | Recognised for major medals in 10m pistol events. |
| 2016 | Sakshi Malik | Freestyle Wrestling | Joint Award | Awarded for Olympic bronze in wrestling. |
| 2017 | Devendra Jhajharia | Paralympic Javelin | Joint Award | Awarded for Paralympic gold and world records. |
| 2017 | Sardara Singh | Hockey | Joint Award | Honoured for leadership and excellence in Indian hockey. |
| 2018 | Saikhom Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting | Joint Award | Awarded for World Championship and Commonwealth titles. |
| 2018 | Virat Kohli | Cricket | Joint Award | Recognised for exceptional batting records and leadership. |
| 2019 | Deepa Malik | Para Athletics | Joint Award | Honoured for Paralympic medals in shot put and javelin. |
| 2019 | Bajrang Punia | Freestyle Wrestling | Joint Award | Awarded for world and Asian wrestling medals. |
| 2020 | Rohit Sharma | Cricket | Joint Award | Recognised for record-breaking ODI and Test performances. |
| 2020 | Mariyappan Thangavelu | Paralympic High Jump | Joint Award | Awarded for Paralympic gold and silver medals. |
| 2020 | Manika Batra | Table Tennis | Joint Award | Honoured for international table-tennis achievements. |
| 2020 | Vinesh Phogat | Freestyle Wrestling | Joint Award | Awarded for global wrestling dominance. |
| 2020 | Rani Rampal | Hockey | Joint Award | Recognised for leadership of India’s women’s hockey team. |
| 2021 | Neeraj Chopra | Athletics | Joint Award | Awarded for Olympic gold in javelin throw. |
| 2021 | Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Freestyle Wrestling | Joint Award | Honoured for Olympic silver in wrestling. |
| 2021 | Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing | Joint Award | Awarded for Olympic bronze medal. |
| 2021 | P. R. Sreejesh | Hockey | Joint Award | Recognised for Olympic medal as India’s goalkeeper. |
| 2021 | Avani Lekhara | Paralympic Shooting | Joint Award | Honoured for Paralympic gold and bronze. |
| 2021 | Sumit Antil | Para-Athletics | Joint Award | Awarded for Paralympic world-record javelin throw. |
| 2021 | Pramod Bhagat | Para-Badminton | Joint Award | Honoured for Paralympic gold in badminton. |
| 2021 | Krishna Nagar | Para-Badminton | Joint Award | Awarded for Paralympic gold medal. |
| 2021 | Manish Narwal | Paralympic Shooting | Joint Award | Recognised for Paralympic gold. |
| 2021 | Mithali Raj | Cricket | Joint Award | Awarded for her legendary cricket career. |
| 2021 | Sunil Chhetri | Football | Joint Award | Honoured for his long and outstanding football career. |
| 2021 | Manpreet Singh | Hockey | Joint Award | Awarded for leadership and Olympic medal. |
| 2022 | Sharath Kamal | Table Tennis | — | Awarded for Commonwealth & world-level achievements in table tennis. |
| 2023 | Chirag Shetty | Badminton | Joint Award | Awarded for world-class doubles performance. |
| 2023 | Satwiksairaj Rankireddy | Badminton | Joint Award | Recognised as part of India’s top badminton doubles pair. |
| 2024 | Gukesh Dommaraju | Chess | Joint Award | Awarded for becoming India’s youngest World Championship challenger. |
| 2024 | Harmanpreet Singh | Hockey | Joint Award | Honoured for excellence as India’s top drag-flicker. |
| 2024 | Praveen Kumar | Para-Athletics | Joint Award | Awarded for achievements in para javelin. |
| 2024 | Manu Bhaker | Shooting | Joint Award | Recognised for multiple international shooting medals. |
