Indian Women’s Cricket Team captain and star player Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded the illustrious Padma Shri award from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. With that, she becomes only the fourth Indian woman cricketer to receive the award.
Harmanpreet is not only the captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, but also one of the best batters of this generation. She was named the captain of the Indian squad in 2016 and has spent a decade as the leader of one of the best international women’s cricket teams in the world.
Harmanpreet Kaur Receives The Padma Shri
In 2025, Kaur led India to their first ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup victory, and that too on home soil. Not only that, but she has also broken several barriers for women in the sport in India.
Alongside stalwart Smriti Mandhana, Harman has been the face of Indian women’s cricket for a decade now. She became the first Indian, man or woman, to play in a foreign T20 league when she was roped in by the Sydney Thunder in the WBBL in 2016.
She was also instrumental in bringing a women’s T20 league to India, and she became one of the faces of the Women’s Premier League, or the WPL. She became the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the league, winning two titles in four years.
Harmanpreet Kaur is the third-highest Indian run scorer in the WODI format, having made 4541 runs in 164 games at an average of just over 35. In WT20Is, she is the third-highest run scorer for any nation ever, having made 3991 runs in 195 games.
On Monday, May 25, Harmanpreet received the Padma Shri from President Murmu at the first Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. She was recognised for her contributions to Indian cricket following the World Cup win on home soil last November.
At the ceremony, 58 people received the Padma Shri from various fields of the world, six received the Padma Bhushan, and two received the Padma Vibhushan.
In 2026, a total of 113 people received a Padma Shri, seven of whom were sports persons. This includes the likes of former Indian Men’s Cricket Team captain Rohit Sharma and Indian Women’s Hockey Team goalkeeper Savita Punia.
As stated above, Harmanpreet Kaur becomes only the third Indian woman cricketer to receive the award, joining the prestigious list that also includes former national captain and administrator Diana Edulji, arguably the most iconic Indian cricketer in Mithali Raj, and one of the greatest bowlers in the sport, Jhulan Goswami.
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