Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty Nominated for Khel Ratna, R Vaishali up for Arjuna Award

Star Indian badminton men’s doubles pair Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award following their performances in the field of sport.

The list of nominees for the Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award and Dronacharya Award included several star names that have shone on the international stage over the year.

The Dronacharya Award is bestowed upon coaches who have dedicated their lives to train athletes, who in turn strive to bring laurels to the nation include high profile chess coach RB Ramesh, who is responsible for the growth and development of Chess prodigies R Praggnanandhaa and his sister R Vaishali, who has been nominated for the prestigious Arjuna Award.

Track and field athletes such as Parul Chaudhary and M Sreeshankar have also made the list of nominees for the prestigious Arjuna Award as have Lawn Bowl medallist Pinky and shooting stalwart Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, who have had incredible results this year.

ICC ODI World Cup 2023 star Mohammed Shami, who ended up as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker was also nominated for the second-highest sporting honour, behind the Khel Ratna.

The Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award for the year for services to sports include former field hockey player Vineet Kumar Sharma, former shuttler Manjusha Kanwar and former Kabaddi player Kavita.

Nominees for Sports Awards:

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Badminton).

Arjuna Award: Mohammed Shami (Cricket), Ajay Reddy (Blind cricket) Ojas Pravin Deotale, Aditi Gopichand Swami (Archery), Sheetal Devi (Para archery), Parul Chaudhary and M Sreeshankar (Athletics), Mohd Hussamuddin (Boxing), R Vaishali (Chess), Divyakriti Singh and Anush Agarwalla (Equestrian), Diksha Dagar (Golf), Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Sushila Chanu (Hockey), Pinky (Lawn ball), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (Shooting), Antim Panghal (Wrestling), Ayhika Mukherjee (Table tennis).

Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award: Kavita (Kabaddi), Manjusha Kanwar (Badminton) Vineet Kumar Sharma (Hockey).

Dronacharya Award: Ganesh Prabhakaran (Mallakhamb), Mahavir Saini (Para athletics), Lalit Kumar (Wrestling), RB Ramesh (Chess), Shivendra Singh (Hockey).