Born in Mhow in 1917, Lal started playing hockey at the age of 14. In 1933, he represented Mhow Heroes and Mhow Green Walls and played for Kalyanmal Mills, Indore. In 1937, he joined the Bhagwant Club of Tikamgarh.
Kishan Lal captained the Indian hockey team to gold at the 1948 London Olympics.[1] This included victories over Austria (8-0), Argentina (9-1), Spain (2-0), and the Netherlands (2-1) before beating Great Britain by 4-0 in the final.[2][3][4][5] Lal was rated by The Times as an "outstanding forward on the field".[6]
Coach
Kishan Lal coaching some players
After a career spanning 28 years, he retired from competitive hockey but remained connected with the game until 1976. He served as the chief coach of the Railways Sports Control Board for twenty years, during which they won the national hockey championship 14 times and 6 draws.
He is considered one of the greatest inside forwards in field hockey. He is known as the fastest player in the wing position and a gentlemanly player. According to Gian Singh, "Many times, I would think he would score but invariable he would pass the ball to inside forwards or the center forward to do the finishing touch."[8]