The eighth edition of the Times of India Sports Awards will be held in Lucknow on March 21, 2026, bringing together some of India’s biggest sports icons to celebrate excellence across disciplines. These prestigious awards are aimed at recognizing Indian athletes for their outstanding achievements, perseverance and dedication during the 2025 sports season and making India proud.The awards will recognize achievements in 49 categories (36 sports and 13 disability sports), including more than 190 nominations for individual and team performance. The winners will be selected by a distinguished panel of legendary athletes whose achievements have shaped Indian sports. Their experience, credibility and deep understanding of competition ensure these honors truly reflect excellence on the global stage.Also read: TOISA celebrates Indian sports heroes; Lucknow to host 8th edition
This is the jury to ISA 2025 :
Abhinav Bindra – ShootingAbhinav Bindra, India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist, remains one of the country’s most famous athletes. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he made history by winning the gold medal in the 10-meter air rifle event. Earlier, he became the first Indian shooter to win the world title at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championship. Bindra is a multiple medalist at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games and has won the Padma Bhushan, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Award. PR Sreejesh — HockeyOne of the finest goalkeepers in modern hockey, PR Sreejesh has played a key role in India’s resurgence on the global stage. He was instrumental in India’s bronze medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics. Srijesh is an Asian Games gold and Commonwealth Games silver medalist and was also named International Hockey Federation’s Goalkeeper of the Year three times. His achievements have been recognized with Padma Shri, Padma Shri Award, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Award.Mithali Raj – CricketMithali Raj is a trailblazer in women’s cricket, becoming the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket with 10,868 runs. She scored 7,805 runs in ODIs, the highest by any woman, and led India to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup finals twice, in 2005 and 2017. Mithali also became the first Indian to score 2,000 runs in T20Is and holds the record for most ODI appearances. Her distinguished career spanning 20 years has earned her the Padma Shri, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and in 2017 she was awarded the title of Wisden’s Leading Women Cricketer.Devendra Jhajharia — Para AthleticsDevendra Jhajharia is one of India’s greatest Paralympians and the only Indian to win two Paralympic gold medals in javelin at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games and the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. He also won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, completing a rare hat-trick of medals. Jhajharia broke the world record twice in the F46 category and became the first para-athlete to win the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. His honors also include the Padma Shri, Padma Shri and Arjuna Award.Sharath Kamal – Table TennisSharath Kamal is widely regarded as India’s greatest table tennis player. In 2006, he became the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games singles gold medal and has since won a record 13 Commonwealth Games medals. A ten-time national champion, he also won medals at the Asian Games and Asian Championships and became the first Indian to win an ITTF Pro Tour title. Sarath represented India in five Olympic Games from Athens 2004 to Paris 2024 and served as co-chairman of the ITTF Athletes Commission. His achievements earned him Padma Shri Award, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Award.Leander Pace — TennisLeander Paes is one of India’s most decorated tennis players with 18 Grand Slam titles in men’s and mixed doubles. He won a historic bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, ending India’s 44-year wait for an individual Olympic medal. Paes also holds the record for the most doubles wins in Davis Cup history and formed the legendary Indian Express team with Mahesh Bhupathi. Winner of the Padma Shri, Padma Shri, Arjuna Award and the Major Dejan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Paes remains a towering figure in Indian sports.
