Birendra Lakra

Birendra Lakra

Lakra in 2017
Personal information
Born	(1990-02-03) 3 February 1990 (age 34) Lachchada, Sundargarh, Odisha, India
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb)
Playing position	Defender Arjuna awardee
Club information
Current club	BPCL
Senior career
Years	Team
2012	Chandigarh Comets
	BPCL
0000–2008	Orissa Steelers
2013–2014	Ranchi Rhinos
2015–2017	Ranchi Rays
2017–	BPCL
National team
Years	Team	Caps	Goals
2012–2022	India	208	(10)
Medal record Men's field hockey Representing  India Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Team Asian Games 2014 Incheon Team 2018 Jakarta Team Asia Cup 2013 Ipoh 2022 Jakarta Champions Trophy 2018 Breda Asian Champions Trophy 2016 Kuantan 2012 Doha World League 2015 Raipur Team 2015 Bhubaneswar Team Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow Team
Last updated on: 5 August 2021

Birendra Lakra (born 3 February 1990) is an Indian former field hockey player. He represented India in men's field hockey and recently came out of retirement alongside Rupinderpal Singh and captained the Indian team in the Asia Cup held in Jakarta, Indonesia to a bronze medal. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics also, he also served as the vice-captain of Indian team.

Birendra Lakra was born on 3 February 1990 in the village of Lachchada in the Sundargarh District of Odisha, on the border with Jharkhand. He was born to a family belonging to an Oraon tribe.^{[citation needed]}

Birendra Lakra is a player for the Rourkela Steel Plant's SAIL Hockey Academy.^[1] He was included in the Indian junior team for the first time for the Singapore tour in 2007. He represented India in the Test series against South Africa in 2012, in the Champions Challenge tournament in South Africa in 2011, at the SAAF Games at Dhaka in 2010, at the Youth Olympics at Sydney in 2009 and at the Junior World Cup at Singapore in 2009.

He scored the first goal in India's victory in the final game of the Olympic Hockey Qualifying Tournament against France. He played a key role in taking India in to the semifinals of 2012 Champions Trophy. India defeated Belgium with the help of a single goal that was produced by the pass given by Birendra Lakra to the forward^{[clarification needed]}. With this India reached the semifinals of the Champions Trophy for the first time in eight years.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Lakra won a silver medal with India.^[2]

In the auction of the inaugural Hockey India League season, Lakra was bought by the Ranchi franchise for US$41,000^[3] with his base price being US$9,250. The Ranchi team was named Ranchi Rhinos. The team finished first in the inaugural season and third in the 2014 season. Following disputes between the franchise and Hockey India, the team decided to pull out, after which Lakra signed with the Ranchi Rays franchise from the 2015 season.^[4]

• Birendra Lakra at Hockey India
• Birendra Lakra at the International Hockey Federation
• Birendra Lakra at Olympedia
• Birendra Lakra at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)