Nitish announces Rs 10 lakh award for each player of India men's hockey squad

Patna: Each member of the Indian men's hockey squad that won the Asia Cup 2025 will be awarded Rs 10 lakh by the Bihar government, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Monday.

India bagged the Men's Hockey Asia Cup with a 4-1 win over South Korea in the final in Rajgir on Sunday.

"The Indian hockey team has registered a spectacular victory in the Asia Cup 2025, organised for the first time at the campus of the State Sports Academy-cum-Bihar Sports University located in Rajgir, thereby filling the entire country with pride," Kumar posted on X.

राजगीर में अवस्थित राज्य खेल अकादमी-सह-बिहार खेल विश्वविद्यालय के परिसर में पहली बार आयोजित हीरो एशिया कप 2025 में भारतीय हॉकी टीम ने विलक्षण जीत दर्ज कर पूरे देश को गौरवान्वित किया है। हीरो एशिया कप 2025 जीतने वाली भारतीय हॉकी टीम के खिलाड़ियों एवं सहयोगी स्टाफ के उत्साहवर्द्धन…

— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) September 8, 2025

"The state government has decided to provide honorarium to the players and support staff of the Indian hockey team that won the Asia Cup 2025 to encourage and motivate them. Each player of the winning Indian team of the Asia Cup 2025 will be provided with an honorarium of 10 lakh rupees, and each support staff member will be provided with 5 lakh rupees," he added.

India had last won the title in 2017 in Dhaka, following successes in the 2003 (Kuala Lumpur) and 2007 (Chennai) editions of the continental tournament.

The title ensured India's direct entry into next year's FIH World Cup to be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 14 to 30.