Surjeet Singh Narwal and Pooja Kajla receive Arjuna Award 2025
Surjeet Singh Narwal and Pooja Kajla were conferred with the Arjuna Award 2025 in India, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced. They were two of 17 players honoured with the award for 2025.
The Arjuna Award is a sports honour in India given to athletes who have demonstrated outstanding performance, and the Ministry announces recipients based on recommendations from a selection committee. Both players were recognised specifically for their contributions to kabaddi; Surjeet is described as the defending mainstay of the Indian men’s team and Pooja as a recent sensation of the women’s side.
Surjeet made his India debut at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon and won the gold medal with the Indian team. The source highlights his role in promoting kabaddi over the past decade.
At the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in India, Surjeet played a decisive role in the final against Iran when India trailed at halftime; while Ajay Thakur contributed in attack, Surjeet-led defence held firm. In the last two minutes of the match, Iran’s Meraj Sheykh attempted a lion jump but Surjeet caught him single-handedly, a play the article says sealed the game for India.
Surjeet finished that World Cup as the most successful defender with 23 points and received the 'Defender of the Tournament' award. The article also notes he has represented eight Pro Kabaddi League franchises and won the league last year, describing him as the most successful Indian defender in PKL history.
Pooja Kajla has been with the Indian team for the last 4-5 years, according to the source. Her first major success came with a gold at the 2022 Asian Games, and last year she was part of the gold-medal winning campaign at the Asian Women’s Kabaddi Championship in Tehran, where her aggression and tenacity helped her score 13-raid points in the continental event.
Pooja became the 11th women’s kabaddi player to receive the Arjuna Award, while Surjeet is the 31st from the men’s side to be honoured with the accolade.