Dilip Tirkey is a distinguished Indian hockey player in India. He is known for his position as full back and his remarkable penalty corner hits. He was employed as an assistant manager at Indian Airlines. On March 22, 2012, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha as one of the three Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidates to the Upper House of Indian Parliament. He won the Arjun Awardin 2002 and Padma Shree in the year 2004. Dilip Kumar Tirkey was born on 24th November in the year 1977 in Savnamara near Sundargarh district in the Indian state of Orissa. He made his international debut for the Indian national hockey team against England in the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup. In three Olympics he has participated his penalty corner hitting is considered as one of the best in the world. 

In the 3rd Premier Hockey Leagueevent, he was declared as the best player. His rise from humble Adivasi origins to go on and captain the Indian national hockey team is an inspirational story in every right. Coincidentally the fact remains that first Indian captain to the Olympics held in the year1928 at Amsterdam was an Adivasi - Jaipal Singh Munda. Tirkey is the only Adivasi to represent India in three Olympic Games, starting in 1996. He has a total of 412 international caps and has scored over 60 goals in his international career. On May 2nd 2010 he announced his retirement from the international hockey circuit.