Khel Ratna controversy: Punia had more points than both Kohli, Chanu

Kohli's name was finalised for the award through a show of hands where eight out of 11 members of the panel supported Kohli's candidature

Bajrang Punia had 80 points to his name, far more than Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli's 'zero' and current weightlifting world champion Mirabai Chanu's 44, who have been named for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award 2018 by the 11-member selection team, The Times of India (ToI) reported.

Controversy broke out over the award on Thursday when Asian Games 2018 and Commonwealth Games 2018 gold medallist, Bajrang Punia questioned the selection criteria for the country's highest sporting honour.

"I'm hurt for not being recognised for my talent and performances, I don't know what was the criteria of selection for