The ‘Annual Awards 2023’ held by Hockey India honored players on Sunday. Salima Tete, an international hockey player from Jharkhand, was the recipient of the coveted ‘Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Award’, which goes to the best player of the year. For her excellent work, she received a cheque for 25 lakh rupees. Tete defeated Savita Punia, her captain and the AIFF’s choice for best female goalkeeper this season, to take home the trophy.
In addition, Deepika Soreng, a rising star from Jharkhand, received the Asunta Lakra Award for “Upcoming Player of the Year (Under-21 Women)”. The award was given to her by Asunta Lakra, who also gave her a check for 10 lakh rupees. In addition, Olympian Nikki Pradhan of Jharkhand was given 1.50 lakh rupees, and Sangita Kumari received a one lakh rupee check as a token of appreciation. In addition, the female teams that took home the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023 in Ranchi were acknowledged and given certificates and cash rewards. Hockey India has selected 32 players in eight different categories for this year’s annual awards, giving them a combined total of 7.56 crores.
