Balbir Singh Sidhu was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His parents had emigrated to Kenya in 1927.
He went to India with his parents in 1938 and because of the war which started the following year; he stayed in India for eleven years and studied at Hans Village School in Jagraon; Government School Jagraon, District Ludhiana and Government College, Ludhiana.
He played hockey at School in Jagraon and represented Ludhiana College, Punjab in 1948.
He returned to Kenya in 1949 and played for Sikh Union Nairobi from 1949 to 1952.
He played for Kenya Police from 1952 to 1958 and was a member of Kenya Police Team that won the M R D'Souza Gold Cup in 1955 and 1960.
He represented Kenya at Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games. He was Kenya's vice-captain at their match against England in Nairobi in September 1958.
In September 1966 he emigrated to UK where he played for a short while for Sevenoaks and Beckenham hockey clubs. He retired from hockey thereafter and continued with his other passion, golf.
He died in Farnborough, Kent, UK on 10 December 2016 aged 84.