Harmanpreet Singh (born 6 January 1996) is an Indian field hockey player as well as the captain of the Indian national hockey team.[2] He plays as a defender, is a penalty corner specialist, and is regarded as one of the best drag flickers in the world.[3] He led the team to clinch the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.[4] This was his second bronze in three appearances at the Olympics.[5] Singh captained the team to win a gold at the 2022 Asian Games. He has won the Player of the Year title at the FIH Awards twice.[6]
Singh was born on 6 January 1996 in Timmowal village near Jandiala Guru township of Amritsar in a Sikh farmers’ family.[7] He was on his father’s tractor whenever he was off from his school and during his holidays he helped his family in farming. Farming helped Singh to gain strength and endurance. His father encouraged him to do whatsoever his wish was. He started playing hockey at the age of 10. In initial days of his childhood he loved to play Harmonium and had some interest in music but when he was 15-years old, he joined the Surjit Singh Hockey Academy with the hopes of becoming a forward.[8]He married Amandeep Kaur and they have a daughter, Ruhanat.[9]
Singh made his debut in the junior national team in 2014 at the Sultan of Johor Cup. After being named player of the tournament at the 2014 edition of the same tournament, he made his senior debut the following year, against Japan. He made his debut at the Olympic Games in 2016. He was instrumental in India's third-place finish at the 2021–22 FIH Pro League, where he ended as top-scorer with 18 goals. He won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and was also instrumental in his team's silver medal win at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and captained his team to a gold medal win at the 2022 Asian Games.[3] Singh was named Men's Player of the Year at FIH Player of the Year Awards for 2020–2021.[10] Again for 2021-22 he named Player of year at FIH Player of the Year Awards two consecutive time to become first Indian and fourth member who join elite list that includes Teun De Nooijer (Netherlands), Jamie Dwyer (Australia) and Arthur van Doren (Belgium).[11]
Singh made his debut for India Junior Team against New Zealand. He scored 9 goals at the 2014 Sultan of Johor Cup. His team won the tournament by defeating Great Britain 2–1 in the final. For his outstanding performances he was awarded Man of the Tournament Award. He scored 4 goals at 2015 Sultan of Johor Cup. Unfortunately his team lost in the final to Great Britain in penalties 3-4 after a 2–2 draw. He was the member of the team which won 2015 Men's Hockey Junior Asia Cup. He was the highest goalscorer of the tournament, he scored 14 goals. After his debut appearance at the Olympics, he was selected for 2016 Men's Hockey Junior World Cup.[12] Singh scored a crucial 66th-minute goal against Spain which helped his team win the match 2-1 and reach the semi-finals. His team won the tournament by defeating Belgium in the final 2–1. He scored 3 goals in the tournament.
Singh received his maiden call-up for senior team in April 2015 when he was selected for the 3 match bilateral series against Japan.[13] But he was dropped from the team for next tournament which was the 2014–15 Men's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals.[14]
Singh returned to the team for 2016 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.[15] He scored his 1st ever goal for national team against the Japanese team which helped his team win the match 2–1. He then scored one goal in the match against Canada which was won by his team 3–1. He scored only 2 goals in the tournament. His team had a crushing defeat to Australia in the final 4–0.[16]
Singh was retained in the squad for 2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy.[17] In the 1st match against Germany, scored a goal in the 32nd minute but the match ended in a 3–3 draw and in the next match against Great Britain he scored a goal in the 34th minute which helped his team win the match 2–1. The final against Australia ended in a 0–0 draw. In the penalty shootout only Singh managed to score. His team lost the final in 3–1 on penalties.[18] Singh scored 2 goals in the tournament and won the Young Player of the Tournament award.
He was named in the Indian squad for 2016 Olympics.[19][20][21] Singh gave a disappointing performance at the Rio Olympics 2016. He failed to score a single goal. His coach claimed that he had unperformed and had not done justice to the outstanding talent and prowess that he possessed as a player. His team lost to Belgium in the Quarter-finals 1-3 after barely qualify for knockout stage. In six games, India managed to win only two but lost three, which was a disappointing conclusion to their Olympic campaign. Singh was dropped from the team for 2016 Men's Asian Champions Trophy and 4 Nations Invitational Tournament after a disastrous Olympics campaign.
After his good performances at the 2016 Men's Hockey Junior World Cup, Singh again returned to the national team for 2017 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.[22][23] He scored 2 goals(27th minute and 47th minute) in the match against New Zealand which was won by his team comfortably 3–0. He then was the lone scorer(26th minute) in the match against Australia which his team lost 1–3. He scored 3 goals in the tournament and his team finished 3rd.
Singh was named in squad for 2016–17 Men's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals.[24]
He was selected for 2017 Men's Hockey Asia Cup.[25][26][27] He scored 2 goals in the 35th minute and 48th minute in the 1st match against Japan. India easily won the match 5–1. He again scored 2 goals in the next match against Bangladesh in the 28th and 47th minute. Hus team again easily win the match 7–0. He then scored a goal in the 45th minute of match against arch-rivals Pakistan which was also won by his team 3–1. His team topped the Pool and qualified for Super 4s stages. He scored a goal in the 19th minute in a thrashing win over of 6–1 over Malaysia.[28] He then scored a goal in the 51 minute in the match against Pakistan which was won by his team 4–0 to enter the finals. His team won the tournament by defeating Malaysia 2–1 in the final to win their 3rd title. Singh was joint high scorer with Malaysian Faizal Saari with 7 goals.[29]
Singh had a stellar performance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He scored twice against New Zealand in a 3-2 win. He scored against Argentina in a 3-1 victory. He also scored a goal against Japan in 5-3 win. He scored again against Belgium in the semifinals, but India lost 5-2. In the bronze medal match, Singh scored a goal against Germany, securing a 5-4 win for India. His consistent performance throughout the tournament was instrumental in guiding India to their first Olympic medal in 41 years[30]
In the 2021–22 Pro League match against England, Singh scored his 100th goal. He went to score a hat-trick in the same match helping his team to win the match 4–3.[31] He then scored two goals against Germany which helped his team win the match 3–0. In modern AstroTurf hockey he has scored most international goals for India.[32]
Singh had a stellar performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, helping India secure a silver medal. He was the second-highest goal scorer in the competition, netting nine goals throughout the tournament. His outstanding achievements have led to him becoming the fourth player to win the FIH Player of the Year in 2022 award in consecutive years, joining an elite group comprising Teun De Nooijer, Jamie Dwyer, and Arthur van Doren.
Singh led the Indian field hockey team to a gold medal win at the 2022 Asian Games by defeating the defending champions Japan 5–1 in the final.[33] As winners India qualified directly for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[34][35] He was the top scorer for India, netting 13 goals in Asian games, and showcased his expertise as a penalty corner specialist,
Singh was appointed captain ahead of the 2022–23 season of the Pro League.[36] Singh was retained as captain for the 2023 World Cup.[37] India were knocked out on penalties by New Zealand in the crossover stage, ahead of the quarter-finals,[38] and finished joint ninth after a win over South Africa.[39] However, Singh had a particularly successful year and went on to score 42 goals from 33 matches.[40] On 10 February 2024, he scored twice in the opening match against Spain in the 2023–24 edition of the Pro League. The first was a penalty corner conversion while the second came off a penalty stroke.[41] He scored a match-saving equaliser from another penalty corner conversion in India's next match against the Netherlands, his 200th appearance in national colors. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.[40]
Singh was nominated as the captain of Indian men's hockey team for Paris Olympics 2024. He led the Indian men's hockey team to a bronze medal win against Spain on August 8, 2024, at the 2024 Olympics. He was the top scorer in the tournament with a total of 10 goals, including two crucial goals in the bronze medal match. Singh also scored two goals against Australia, leading India to their first victory against them in 52 years. As the captain, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and skill throughout the tournament, leading his team to a record-extending 13th medal in hockey at the Olympics. Singh's consistent performance was key to India's success.[42][43]
He earned the moniker of Sarpanch Sahib of Hockey (which refers to a leader of a village) by the media due to his performance and captaincy at the Olympics. After winning bronze medal Prime minister Narendra Modi called the team and congratulated them.[44]
He had an incredible performance at the 2024 Men's Asian Champions Trophy. He was the top scorer for the Indian team with a total of 7 goals, and played a crucial role in India's fifth title,[45]He was instrumental in India's 2-1 win over Pakistan, netting twice and showcasing calm leadership to navigate the team through Pakistan's intense pressure, particularly in the final quarter. Harmanpreet's impressive form continued with a brace in the semifinal against South Korea and a decisive assist for Jugraj Singh's goal in the final, ultimately earning him the Player of the Tournament award[46]
Singh was bought by Dabang Mumbai for $51000 in the 2015 Hockey India League, he scored 5 goals in his first edition. He went on to win the Ponty Chadha award for the most promising player of the tournament in 2015. Daband Mumbai retained him for the 2016 edition.[47] He scored only 2 goals in the whole season but his good defensive skills helped in making the case to retain him. He scored 6 goals in the 2017 edition. He won the Upcoming Player of the Tournament award.
