BHIM-UPI TOISA 2019 Nominees: Volleyball

NEW DELHI: The fourth edition of the Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA), powered by BHIM-UPI, is India's first of its kind and largest multi-discipline people's choice sports awards. TOISA is a platform created by the Times Group to recognise and reward Indian sporting talent and achievements on a global scale and will be held soon to honour the lionhearts who have given their blood, sweat and tears to make the country proud.
Ahead of the TOISA to be held on March 5, here's a recap of the how these Indian spikers fared in the year 2019.
Mohan Ukkrapandian
The 33-year-old Mohan Ukkrapandian has the experience of captaining the Indian men's volleyball team. The 6 feet 4 inch Ukkrapandian, who plays as a setter was part of the Tamil Nadu team which won the Men's National Volleyball Championship in January this year, ending a 6 year wait. Ukkrapandian is also one of only two players from Tamil Nadu in the Indian squad for the Olympic qualifiers. In December 2019 Ukkrapandian helped the Indian men's team win the gold medal at the South Asian Games in Nepal, beating Pakistan in the final. He was also part of the Kochi Blue Spikers team in the Pro Volleyball league, which lost in the semi-final of the inaugural season in 2019 to eventual champions Chennai Spartans.

Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh was the most sought after player in the player auction of the inaugural edition of the Pro Volleyball league. The Ahmedabad defenders shelled out Rs 13 lakh to buy his services, making Ranjit the most expensive buy at the auction. Ranjit is also a former India captain and a sub-inspector with Punjab Police. He captained the Indian team in the 2014 Asian Games and in 2015 helped India win the silver medal at the Asian Cup.
Minimol Abraham
Minimol Abraham captains the Indian women's volleyball team and is a key player in the team. Though the Indian women's volleyball team didn't fare very well at the 2018 Asian Games, Minimol's performances on the court were hailed and she was tagged as the standout Indian player. The 31 year old from Kerala was also part of the Indian team which won the gold medal at the last South Asian Games in Nepal in 2019. In domestic volleyball Miminol represents the Railways team.