Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025 & Other Sports Awards

Every year India honours its best sportspersons with big national awards.
For current affairs and sports GK, three names are very important in 2025:

• BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025

• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025

• Arjuna Awards 2025

These awards tell us who are the biggest stars of Indian sports, and also give many ready-made examples for essays and interviews.

In this blog we will understand:

• What each award means

• Who got BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025

• Who got Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025

• Full list of Arjuna Awards 2025 winners

• Comparison between these three honours

• How these awards help students and defence aspirants

In many official documents these are called “National Sports Awards 2024 (presented in January 2025)”.

BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025

What is the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award?

The BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award (also known as the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award) is the highest honour given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to someone who has given exceptional service to Indian cricket over many years.

Important points:

• It is usually given to retired players and sometimes to important coaches or administrators.

• The award carries a trophy, citation and cash, but more than that, it is a symbol of respect from the cricket family.

• Past winners include greats like Lala Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and Ravi Shastri.

For current affairs, you should connect this award with the keyword “lifetime contribution to cricket”.

BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 – Sachin Tendulkar

The BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 was given to Sachin Tendulkar at the BCCI Naman Awards ceremony in Mumbai on 1 February 2025.

Why Sachin Tendulkar received the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025:

• He played 24 years of international cricket for India and scored over 34,000 international runs in Tests and ODIs combined.

• He is the only cricketer to have 100 international centuries and the first player to hit a double century in men’s ODI cricket.

• He played 200 Test matches, which is still a world record.

• Under his career, Indian cricket became a global powerhouse and millions of young players took up the game.

The BCCI said that the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 does not only honour his runs and records, but also his discipline, humility and the way he inspired a whole generation.

Exam punch line:
BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 – Sachin Tendulkar (presented at the BCCI Naman Awards in Mumbai).

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2025

About the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is India’s highest sporting honour. It was earlier known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, but in 2021 it was renamed after hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand to honour his iconic role in Indian hockey.

Key features you must remember:

• It is given by the President of India on the recommendation of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

• It is awarded for the most outstanding performance in sports over the last four years.

• The award consists of a medallion, certificate and cash prize.

• The first winner (1991–92) was Viswanathan Anand (Chess).

Quick profiles for revision

• D Gukesh – Chess
  D Gukesh became the youngest world chess champion in history by defeating Ding Liren in 2024. His calm style and deep preparation made India the home of the world champion again after Vishwanathan Anand. This achievement is the main reason he got Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025.

• Harmanpreet Singh – Hockey
  Harmanpreet Singh is the captain of India’s men’s hockey team and a world-class drag-flick specialist. Under his leadership, India has been regularly winning medals at Asian level and competing strongly at global events. His role as captain and goal-scorer made him a natural choice for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025.

• Praveen Kumar – Para-Athletics
  Praveen Kumar is a para high-jumper who has consistently brought home medals for India. He has won at the Paralympics and Asian Para Games and continued his strong performance into 2024. His story shows how para-athletes are now at the centre of Indian sports policy.

• Manu Bhaker – Shooting
  Manu Bhaker is one of India’s best pistol shooters. She faced many ups and downs after her early success, but came back strongly and won big medals again on the world stage. Her performance in major competitions, including the Paris 2024 Olympics, made her a star and a winner of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025.

Memory trick: For Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025, remember the short code “G-H-P-M” – Gukesh, Harmanpreet, Praveen, Manu.

Arjuna Awards 2025

History and Criteria of the Arjuna Awards

The Arjuna Award is officially called the “Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games”. It started in 1961 and is the second-highest sports award in India, just below the Khel Ratna.

Key criteria:

• Given for consistent good performance over the last four years at the international level.

• The player’s leadership, sportsmanship and discipline are also considered.

• Each awardee gets a bronze statuette of Arjuna, a certificate and a cash prize.

For exams, connect the Arjuna Awards with “consistent performance”, whereas the Khel Ratna is for “most outstanding single performance”.

Arjuna Awards 2025 – Complete List of Awardees

For performance year 2024, the government selected 32 sportspersons for Arjuna Awards in the main category, and two legends for Arjuna Awards (Lifetime). The list was announced on 2 January 2025, and the awards were presented on 17 January 2025 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

S. No.	Name	Discipline
1	Jyothi Yarraji	Athletics (Hurdles)
2	Annu Rani	Athletics (Javelin Throw)
3	Nitu	Boxing
4	Saweety	Boxing
5	Vantika Agrawal	Chess
6	Salima Tete	Hockey
7	Abhishek	Hockey
8	Sanjay	Hockey
9	Jarmanpreet Singh	Hockey
10	Sukhjeet Singh	Hockey
11	Rakesh Kumar	Para-Archery
12	Preeti Pal	Para-Athletics
13	Jeevanji Deepthi	Para-Athletics
14	Ajeet Singh	Para-Athletics
15	Sachin Sarjerao Khilari	Para-Athletics
16	Dharambir	Para-Athletics
17	Pranav Soorma	Para-Athletics
18	H Hokato Sema	Para-Athletics
19	Simran	Para-Athletics
20	Navdeep	Para-Athletics
21	Nitesh Kumar	Para-Badminton
22	Thulasimathi Murugesan	Para-Badminton
23	Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan	Para-Badminton
24	Manisha Ramadass	Para-Badminton
25	Kapil Parmar	Para-Judo
26	Mona Agarwal	Para-Shooting
27	Rubina Francis	Para-Shooting
28	Swapnil Suresh Kusale	Shooting
29	Sarabjot Singh	Shooting
30	Abhay Singh	Squash
31	Sajan Prakash	Swimming
32	Aman	Wrestling

You can see that 17 out of these 32 Arjuna Awards 2025 went to para-athletes. This shows the strong focus of the government on para-sports and inclusivity.

Arjuna Awards 2025 – Lifetime Category

Besides the main list, two veterans were honoured with Arjuna Award (Lifetime) 2025 for their long service to Indian sports:

S. No.	Name	Discipline	Why Important
1	Sucha Singh	Athletics	Former cyclist and athlete, one of the early heroes of Indian cycling and athletics.
2	Murlikant Rajaram Petkar	Para-Swimming	India’s first Paralympic gold medallist (50m freestyle, 1972). His story was also widely shared in media and movies.

These two names are very important for static GK as well as for questions on history of Indian sports.

Comparison of BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025 & Arjuna Awards 2025

To avoid confusion in exams, compare them like this:

Point	BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025	Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025	Arjuna Awards 2025
Area	Only cricket	All sports	All sports
Given by	BCCI	Govt. of India	Govt. of India
Level	Lifetime honour for cricket contribution	Highest sports award of India	Second-highest sports award
2025 winner(s)	Sachin Tendulkar	D Gukesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Praveen Kumar, Manu Bhaker	32 active players + Sucha Singh & Murlikant Petkar (lifetime)
Main basis	Whole career and impact on Indian cricket	Most outstanding performance in last four years	Consistent good performance + character

So:

• BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 = cricket-specific, lifetime.

• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025 = top annual award for all sports.

• Arjuna Awards 2025 = broader list for consistent excellence.

Why These Awards Matter for Indian Sports Aspirants

1. Strong role models

Names like Sachin Tendulkar, D Gukesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Murlikant Petkar show how long-term hard work brings national recognition. When you read about BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 or Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025, you are actually reading about discipline, patience and resilience.

2. Growth of para-sports

The Arjuna Awards 2025 list is full of para-athletes from para-athletics, para-badminton, para-shooting and para-judo. This shows that India is now giving equal respect to athletes with disabilities. For essay topics like inclusive development, sports for all or Divyang players in India, you can easily quote these awardees.

3. High-value current affairs

For exams like NDA, CDS, AFCAT, SSC, banking, UPSC Prelims, state PCS, one or two questions can directly come from BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025 or Arjuna Awards 2025.
Examples of possible questions:

• Who received the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025?

• Name any two winners of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025.

• Vantika Agrawal is associated with which sport?

• Which para-swimmer got the Arjuna Award (Lifetime) 2025?

If you revise this table once or twice, you can easily answer all such questions.

Key Points for Competitive Exams

Use this section for last-minute revision:

1. BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 – given by BCCI to Sachin Tendulkar for lifetime contribution to Indian cricket.

2. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025 – four winners:

   • D Gukesh – Chess

   • Harmanpreet Singh – Hockey

   • Praveen Kumar – Para-Athletics

   • Manu Bhaker – Shooting

3. Arjuna Awards 2025 (main list) – 32 sportspersons; important names:

   • Athletics – Jyothi Yarraji, Annu Rani

   • Boxing – Nitu, Saweety

   • Chess – Vantika Agrawal

   • Hockey – Salima Tete, Abhishek, Sanjay, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh

   • Many para-athletes and para-badminton/shooting/judo players.

4. Arjuna Award (Lifetime) 2025 – Sucha Singh (Athletics) and Murlikant Rajaram Petkar (Para-Swimming).

5. Order of importance: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025 (highest), Arjuna Awards 2025 (second-highest). BCCI award is separate and only for cricket.

Conclusion – Inspiration for Future Sportspersons

The story of BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025 and Arjuna Awards 2025 is not only about trophies and medals. It is about years of practice, handling failures, staying humble after success and continuously improving.

For every student or defence aspirant, these award winners are live case-studies of:

• Self-discipline

• Focus on long-term goals

• Handling pressure on the biggest stage

If you keep these names in mind, you will be ready not only for GK and current affairs questions, but also for motivation whenever your own preparation feels difficult.

Role of Doon Defence Dreamers in Sports GK and Current Affairs

At Doon Defence Dreamers (Best CDS coaching institute in Dehradun), Dehradun, awards like the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award 2025, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2025 and Arjuna Awards 2025 are not just news headlines, they are part of regular classroom discussion. Mentors use these latest sports honours to create PYQ-style questions, quick quizzes and short notes for NDA, CDS and AFCAT aspirants, so that students remember every important name and sport. By linking national sports awards with motivation, leadership and discipline, Doon Defence Dreamers helps young candidates think like future officers while also staying fully updated for written exams and SSB interviews.