New Delhi, March 26 – Ahead of the eighth Hockey India Annual Awards on March 27 in New Delhi, rising Indian hockey stars Sakshi Rana and Anmol Ekka shared their pride and excitement upon being nominated for prestigious under-21 honours.
Anmol has been nominated for the 2025 Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men U21). Meanwhile, Sakshi is a nominee for the Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2025 (Women – Under 21). The nominations highlight the notable contributions of the two players last year.
Speaking about his nomination, Anmol said, “It’s a great feeling to be nominated for this award. Some distinguished names have won the award in the past, but I didn’t think I’d be among the players being nominated. So, when I saw my name, it was an amazing feeling. I haven’t told my family about the nomination yet. I will hopefully tell them when I win.”
The 20-year-old excelled at the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup in Chennai, scoring four goals – all from penalty corners. His key moment was in the third-place match against Argentina, where his goal helped India win the bronze medal and earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Sharing his experience from the tournament, Anmol stated, “I gained a lot of experience and exposure at the Junior World Cup. It felt like a reward for all the hard work that I have done in the last couple of years.”
Anmol considers his nomination for the Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2025 to be just the start of his journey. The young athlete is committed to daily improvement and aspires to represent the senior team.
“There are areas of my game that I want to improve on, even when it comes to penalty corners. I’m still in the junior team, so I have a couple of years to showcase the best of my abilities with consistency. If I can do that, I’m confident that I will earn a senior call up. And once I get there, I will try to give my best performance in the senior team as well.”
Meanwhile, Sakshi Rana has been gaining attention with her on-field performances. The 18-year-old debuted for India's senior team in February last year. Later, she served as vice-captain for the junior team at the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup in Santiago in December. She scored three goals during the tournament, highlighting her speed and scoring ability.
Throughout her senior career, the young forward has netted two goals in 12 appearances and played a pivotal role in helping India qualify for the FIH Hockey World Cup in Belgium & Netherlands 2026, scheduled for August.
Reflecting on her achievements in the previous year, she added, "I played the Junior World Cup, and made my senior debut before that in February last year. All of that has only been possible because of the hard work - that is the most important thing for me. So, I’ll keep pushing myself and give my best for the team.”
Sakshi shared her excitement about being nominated for the Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2025 said, "I was delighted when I found out. It felt like the hard work that I’ve been putting in is not going unnoticed. I haven’t told my family about the nomination yet, since I’ve been travelling to play. Hopefully, I can win and give them the good news.”
Focusing on the FIH Hockey World Cup in Belgium & Netherlands 2026, Sakshi highlighted her preparation and mindset. "The focus for us was to qualify for the World Cup. Now that we’ve done so, we’ll get together as a team, focus on our structure and minute details in the training camp while working closely with our coaches. As a centre half, I’m learning when to move quicker with the ball and when to control the tempo. That’s the focus and mindset at the moment," she concluded.