Bhubaneswar, Oct 29 (IANS): Indian men's hockey team defender Harmanpreet Singh was on Friday presented with the Hero Top Scorer award along with a cash prize for being the leading goal-scorer in the FIH Men's Hockey Pro league 2021/22 season.

Having played 16 games in the last season, the 25-year-old from Punjab had scored 18 goals, 14 of which had come from penalty corners. During the tournament, Harmanpreet had also taken his senior international goals tally past 100.

The drag-flicker was presented the award after Friday's FIH Men's Hockey Pro League 2022-2023 encounter between India and New Zealand at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Hockey India informed in a release on Friday.

Accepting the honour, Harmanpreet Singh said, "I am thankful to FIH for presenting me with the award and for recognising my efforts. I want to dedicate this to my teammates who have supported me throughout my sporting career and have helped me every step of the way."

The Indian men's hockey team had finished third in the tournament last season, after having picked 30 points in 16 games, just behind the Netherlands and Belgium. With the start of the new season, Harmanpreet expressed hopes of winning the title this time around.

"With the start of the new season of FIH Pro League, I wish to continue to perform in the same vein of form and hope that this time, I can help the team in winning the title," he added.