~ The midfield maestro is barely the second-ever Indian hockey participant to finish 400 worldwide caps ~
Antwerp, fifteenth June 2025: Because the solar dipped behind the stands of Wilrijkse Plein in Antwerp and the Indian nationwide anthem performed as soon as once more, there stood a well-known determine—poised, composed, with eyes full of goal. For the four-hundredth time, hockey icon Manpreet Singh walked out carrying the India jersey, including his title to an elite checklist of legends who’ve graced the world stage with unwavering consistency and coronary heart.
In that second, Manpreet wasn’t only a participant lining up in opposition to Australia within the FIH Hockey Professional League 2024/25—he was an emblem of longevity, management, and an period that has seen Indian hockey return to world reckoning.
The 33-year-old midfielder from Punjab, a spot synonymous with Indian hockey folklore, now stands because the second-highest capped Indian males’s participant of all time, behind solely former Captain and present Hockey India President Dr. Dilip Tirkey (412 caps). What makes Manpreet’s story much more compelling is that it’s removed from over.
From his debut in 2011 as a spirited 19-year-old to changing into the heartbeat of the Indian midfield, Manpreet’s profession mirrors Indian hockey’s resurgence.
He has received:
· 4 Asian Champions Trophy titles (2013, 2018, 2023, 2024)
· 2 Asian Video games Gold medals (2014, 2023)
· 2 Olympic Bronze medals (2020, 2024)
· 2 Commonwealth Video games Silver medals (2014, 2022)
· Podium finishes on the 2014-15 and 2016-17 FIH World League and Hockey Champions Trophy in 2018
Manpreet’s consistency on the sector has been matched by his recognition off it. His accolades underline his immense contribution to Indian sport:
· Arjuna Award – 2018
· FIH Males’s Participant of the 12 months – 2019
Main Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award – 2021
· Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Participant of the 12 months – 2019
· Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the 12 months – 2014, 2021
However for Manpreet, it was by no means concerning the medals alone. It was about displaying up — each single sport and each coaching session — with the identical hearth he felt when he first picked up a stick on the dusty fields of Mithapur, Jalandhar.
Talking on the milestone, an emotional Manpreet stated, “I nonetheless bear in mind the goosebumps I felt in my debut sport. To be standing right here, 400 video games later, is past something I imagined. This milestone is shared with each coach who pushed me, each teammate who backed me, and each fan who believed in me after I wanted it most. I’m nonetheless studying, nonetheless rising — and I play with the identical starvation as we speak as I did at 19.”
Hockey India President and the one Indian participant forward of Manpreet within the all-time caps checklist, Dr. Dilip Tirkey, lauded the achievement and acknowledged, “Only a few athletes obtain this degree of consistency and endurance. Manpreet has been the backbone of Indian hockey by means of its most transformative decade. His health, management, and composure beneath strain set him aside. We’re proud to see him carry ahead the legacy with such grace.”
Hockey India Secretary Normal Shri Bhola Nath Singh added, “400 caps isn’t just a quantity — it’s a legacy constructed on sacrifice, self-discipline, and devotion to the game. Manpreet has set the bar for professionalism and satisfaction in carrying the India jersey. He has been a real ambassador of Indian hockey and a generational position mannequin.”
All of the FIH Professional League 2024-25 (Males) matches can be streamed reside on Jio Hotstar and broadcast on Star Sports activities Choose.
