Cricketer Virat Kohli and Rio-Olympics bronze medal-winning wrestler Sakshi Malik are among the 72 Padma Shri awardees this year. Sakshi Malik is the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal.

Seven sportspersons will receive Padma Shri this year. They are: Indian Cricket Captain Virat Kohli, Olympian Sakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Paralympics gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu, Indian hockey captain PR Sreejash, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and India’s blind cricket team captain Shekhar Naik.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Singer Kailash Kher and Hindi writer Dr. Narendra Kohli will also be awarded with India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.

The awards are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. 5,000 entries were received by the government for all Padma awards and 500 names were shortlisted.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi will get Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour.