The vast region of Vidarbha has quietly cultivated hockey players whose performances have begun attracting attention well beyond local circuits.

In this listicle, we present four individuals from the area, principally from Nagpur, who have risen through state and departmental hockey to national or international platforms.

Their journeys speak of talent, perseverance, and an urge to represent, while remaining rooted in the constraints and opportunities of Vidarbha’s sporting ecosystem.

The name “Vidarbha” appears not just as a label but as the backdrop against which each has had to carve a niche. Below, you will find a numbered profile of each player, summarising the known facts of their careers, achievements, and current status.

1. Syed Niyaz Rahim

Syed Niyaz Rahim is one of Vidarbha’s foremost male hockey players in recent decades. He first came into national notice when Hockey India selected him for the senior men’s national camp in 2019. He has represented Indian Railways in senior national tournaments and has led the Railways team to multiple titles. Under his captaincy, Indian Railways have secured several gold medals at Hockey India’s national championships. He also was included in India’s 33-member core probables list, putting him close to full national team duties. Beyond departmental play, his performance in marquee cup tournaments, often against strong opposition, has further earned recognition. His leadership role has helped raise Vidarbha’s visibility in men’s hockey circuits. Niyaz is a consistent presence in national-level departmental hockey, and his steady contributions sustain his status among the best players from the region.

2. Aakib Rahim

Aakib Rahim is a cousin of Niyaz Rahim and another beacon of Vidarbha’s hockey promise. He has operated primarily in midfield roles and has been associated with the Indian Navy as his departmental side. He has won gold medals for the Services teams, including a title at the Senior Nehru Hockey Tournament. In recent years, he and Niyaz were both drafted for the revived Hockey India League, with both being considered by multiple franchises. During the prestigious Murugappa Gold Cup, Aakib captained the Indian Navy team while his cousin led Indian Railways; they squared off in the final, and though he did not win, his performance was lauded. In that match, Niyaz was awarded “fastest” and Aakib “strongest” in that edition of the tournament, reflecting how both brothers drew individual honours. The competition between them on big stages has almost become symbolic of Vidarbha’s internal derby in hockey. Aakib’s path underscores the extent to which players from this region now compete upward, and often face each other, in national-level tournaments.

3. Irshad Mirza

Irshad Mirza is a forward who has built a long and versatile domestic hockey career, while also pursuing opportunities beyond India. He has represented Central Railways and has been a regular participant in Hockey India national championships for various states. As of 2025, he has been signed by the Sri Lanka Police team to play in the second season of the Sri Lanka Premier Hockey League. In a previous season, he played for Sri Lanka Air Force and helped his side reach the final. In interviews, he has identified Orange City Club, an institution in Nagpur and founded by his late father, Iqbal Mirza, as the crucible for his early development. While speaking to the media, Irshad has also asserted that players from Nagpur and Vidarbha are capable of outperforming teams from Maharashtra, though he emphasises that infrastructure and match practice lag behind in his home region. His move to Sri Lanka’s league is a sign of how Vidarbha players are branching out to overseas club opportunities to sustain competitive careers.

4. Himanshi Sharad Gawande

Himanshi Sharad Gawande is one of Vidarbha’s most promising women's hockey talents. Born in 2004, she has been listed among the 41 core probables for the junior women’s national coaching camp organised by Hockey India, representing a major step toward international representation. She has played for both Vidarbha and Hockey Maharashtra in junior nationals, and later switched affiliation to Hockey Maharashtra to access broader exposure and opportunities. In junior tournaments, she has earned awards such as “best player” on multiple occasions. In 2023, she captained the Maharashtra junior women’s team and scored a hat-trick against Delhi to guide her side into the quarterfinals of the Junior Women’s National Championship. Her profile on the Hockey India site lists her as a forward with potential for future selection in higher age groups. She has expressed a clear ambition to don Indian colours, and her move from Vidarbha to Maharashtra signals both the ambitions and the challenges faced by female athletes in the region.

The four players above illustrate both the talent reservoir and the structural challenges of hockey in Vidarbha. Many have found it necessary to align with departmental teams (Railways, Navy, etc.) or to shift state representation (like Himanshi) to access higher competition. In interviews and reports, the recurring theme is the lack of robust infrastructure, limited competitive match practice, and administrative difficulties in the local hockey associations.

Irshad Mirza has explicitly commented on these deficits in media interviews. Meanwhile, the Vidarbha Hockey Association Stadium in Nagpur, with its synthetic AstroTurf facility, is among the tangible assets in the region aiming to support hockey development. Over time, the combination of player ambition, external support, and institutional reform will determine whether Vidarbha can transition from being a peripheral supply zone to a sustained cradle of national hockey talent.

These four players from Vidarbha are not finished stories. Their careers continue to unfold in departmental circuits, national camps, and foreign leagues.

Their trajectories reflect both the latent potential in the region and the pathways many must navigate to break into the higher echelons of the sport.

As they move forward, new names will emerge from Vidarbha’s local schools and clubs. For readers following hockey in the region, tracking their next steps, club contracts, national selections, and match performances will be as interesting as how Vidarbha as a region evolves in its support structures and sporting ambition.