# Hoshiarpur’s Sporting Legacy: Football, Athletics and Cricket - Link: https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/hoshiarpurs-sporting-legacy-football-athletics-and-cricket/ - Published: 2026-10-27T02:53:40+05:30 - Author: RAMAN KUMAR SAHDEV [← Browse all 47 personalities](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/personalities-of-hoshiarpur-47-people-six-inspiring-collections/) Hoshiarpur people · Sports & achievement From Mahilpur’s football grounds to international athletics and the early history of Test cricket, Hoshiarpur has several distinct sporting connections. This collection brings together athletes born in the district and people connected with its sporting families and institutions. Family connections are identified explicitly, rather than being presented as local birthplaces. Featured photograph: Mohammad Nissar, circa 1932. Unknown photographer; public domain in India, via Wikimedia Commons. [Image source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohammad_Nissar_1932.jpg)· [Reuse terms](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohammad_Nissar_1932.jpg). **In this collection · 6 profiles** * [Jarnail Singh Dhillon](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/hoshiarpurs-sporting-legacy-football-athletics-and-cricket/#jarnail-singh-dhillon) * [Harmilan Bains](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/hoshiarpurs-sporting-legacy-football-athletics-and-cricket/#harmilan-bains) * [Madhuri A. Singh / Madhuri Saxena](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/hoshiarpurs-sporting-legacy-football-athletics-and-cricket/#madhuri-a-singh-madhuri-saxena) * [Amandeep Singh Bains](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/hoshiarpurs-sporting-legacy-football-athletics-and-cricket/#amandeep-singh-bains) * [Mohammad Nissar](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/hoshiarpurs-sporting-legacy-football-athletics-and-cricket/#mohammad-nissar) * [Intikhab Alam](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/hoshiarpurs-sporting-legacy-football-athletics-and-cricket/#intikhab-alam) ## Jarnail Singh Dhillon Panam village and Mahilpur football Jarnail Singh Dhillon is remembered among the outstanding defenders of Indian football. Associated with Panam village and Mahilpur’s football culture, he was part of India’s victorious 1962 Asian Games side. He also scored in the final against South Korea. His story links the district’s football tradition with one of the national team’s greatest achievements. [Source and further reading](https://www.the-aiff.com/article/celebrating-60-years-of-indias-biggest-triumph-so-far) ## Harmilan Bains From Mahilpur Harmilan Bains carried Mahilpur’s name onto the Asian Games track. At the Hangzhou Games held in 2023, she won silver medals in both the women’s 800 metres and 1,500 metres. She belongs to a family of international middle-distance runners. Her achievements are an important contemporary chapter in the district’s sporting history and women’s athletics. [Source and further reading](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/being-stylish-gives-me-confidence-551331/) ## Madhuri A. Singh / Madhuri Saxena Mahilpur family and sporting connection Madhuri Singh won the women’s 800-metre silver medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan. She is the mother of Harmilan Bains and is connected with Mahilpur through the family’s sporting life. Her own origins are in Uttar Pradesh. That distinction is important: her place here recognises a family and local sporting association, rather than claiming that she was born in Hoshiarpur. [Source and further reading](https://assembly.malala.org/stories/harmilan-bains-forges-her-own-path) ## Amandeep Singh Bains Mahilpur athletics family Amandeep Singh Bains represented India in middle-distance running and won a South Asian Games medal in the 1,500 metres. He is the father of Harmilan Bains and forms part of Mahilpur’s distinguished athletics family. His achievements provide context for a household in which international competition and training became part of everyday life across generations. [Source and further reading](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/for-many-like-harmilan-kaur-bains-representing-india-runs-in-the-family-9089927/) ## Mohammad Nissar Born in Hoshiarpur Mohammad Nissar was a pioneering fast bowler in India’s early Test-cricket history. Born in Hoshiarpur, he became known for his pace in the pre-Independence era. His career connects the district with the beginnings of India’s international cricket journey. He later lived in Pakistan, giving his story a place in the shared sporting history of the subcontinent. [Source and further reading](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/mohammad-nissar-india-first-pacer-6552009/) ## Intikhab Alam Born in Hoshiarpur before Partition Intikhab Alam was born in Hoshiarpur and went on to represent Pakistan in international cricket. He later became a prominent coach, extending his contribution beyond his playing career. His birthplace connects the city with another major figure in the subcontinent’s cricket history. As with other pre-Partition personalities, the local connection and later national career are recorded separately. [Source and further reading](https://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/3638/intikhab-alam) ## Help preserve Hoshiarpur’s stories Have a photograph, a family record or a correction? Share the person’s name, local connection and a reliable source. Photographs should include the photographer’s credit and permission to publish. [Contribute a story or correction →](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/get-local-help/?kind=story)· [Explore all personalities →](https://hoshiarpurtoday.com/personalities-of-hoshiarpur-47-people-six-inspiring-collections/) Profiles researched on 27 October 2026. This is a selected collection, not an exhaustive roll of honour. Images illustrate the named subjects and do not imply endorsement.