List of Women Khel Ratna Awardees – Updated October 2025

India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports annually recognizes a sportsperson, coach, or organization’s achievements and contribution to the growth and development of Indian sports. They are presented with the Indian National Sports Awards, which comprisesix different types, including the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (Khel Ratna), Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, Major Dhyan Chand Award, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA Trophy), and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar.

The President of India presents these awards at the Presidential Palace on August 29, India’s National Sports Day, which also marks the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand, the Indian hockey legend.

All honours for Indian Athletes

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award – given for outstanding performance in a period of four years
Arjuna Award – for performing consistently good in a period of four years
Arjuna Award Lifetime – for good performance and contribution towards sports promotion
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar – for playing a major role in sports promotion and development in the last three years
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award – recognize achievements in the field of sports on land, sea and air

Importance of Khel Ratna

Established in 1991-92 as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, in 2021 it was renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, which is India’s highest-level award in sports. The award is presented to athletes with an outstanding performance made in a period of four years. The winner gets a medallion, certificate, and cash prize.

The first Indian woman to receive the award was Karnam Malleswari, an Olympic bronze medalist weightlifter. The list continues with other legendary names like MC. Mary Kom (boxer), PV Sindhu (badminton), and Saina Nehwal (badminton).

In the men’s section, the first athlete to receive the award was Indian chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, followed by names like Vijender Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli. Abhinav Bindra, a pistol shooter, is the youngest-ever recipient of the award in 2001 at the age of 18 years. He won India’s first gold medal in an individual event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Most Recent Awardees

Manika Batra: Table Tennis (2020)
Vinesh Phogat: Wrestling (2020)
Rani Rampal: Hockey (2020)
Lovlina Borgohain: Boxing (2021)
Avani Lekhara: Para Shooting (2021)
Mithali Raj: Cricket (2021)
Manu Bhaker: Shooting (2024)

Table of all winners

• Inputs sourced from [Olympics]