Cricketers with Padma Shri Awards: Harmanpreet Kaur has received the Padma Shri award in New Delhi at the 2026 Padma Awards ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The honour was given by President Droupadi Murmu for her impact on Indian cricket, especially after leading India to a historic Women’s ODI World Cup win at home.
That World Cup victory was a major moment in Indian cricket. India beat top teams like Australia and South Africa on their way to the title, winning their first-ever ODI World Cup. Harmanpreet’s leadership and aggressive batting played a big role in that success.
She is now seen as one of the key figures who changed the level of women’s cricket in India. Her next goal is to win the T20 World Cup for India in England and Wales.
Rohit Sharma has also been named a Padma Shri awardee, but his honour will be given in a later ceremony. His recent achievements include leading India to major white-ball success. That include the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. He is also one of the most successful IPL captains with multiple titles.
A total of 131 Padma Awards were announced in 2026 across different fields.
Rohit Sharma to Receive Padma Shri Later After Missing Ceremony Due to IPL 2026 Schedule
Rohit Sharma did not attend the Padma Shri ceremony in New Delhi mainly because of scheduling reasons and not because he missed the award itself. He was already named as one of the Padma Shri recipients earlier this year. The award is still confirmed for him.
The ceremony he missed was just the first batch of presentations held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These awards are usually given in different phases. So not every recipient attends the same event. Rohit was unavailable on that date due to his cricket commitments. He also had timing issues linked to his schedule with Mumbai Indians during IPL 2026.
Because of this, he will receive the honour in a later investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The government usually allows awardees to collect it in separate sessions if they cannot attend the main event.
So there is no controversy or issue. It is just a timing and procedure thing, and he will still get the Padma Shri later.
List of the Indian Players with Padma Shri Awards
The Padma Shri in Indian cricket has a long history. It started from the 1960s and continued till recent years. Players from every era get recognised for their impact on the game.
Early names include legends like Vijay Hazare, Polly Umrigar, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Bishan Singh Bedi and Ajit Wadekar. These were players who helped shape Indian cricket in its early international years.
From the 1980s and 1990s, big stars like Kapil Dev, Syed Kirmani, Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohammad Azharuddin were honoured after making India more competitive on the world stage.
The golden era of modern Indian cricket saw Sachin Tendulkar receive the award in 1999, followed by Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag in the 2000s. Players like Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh also joined the list during this period.
In women’s cricket, players like Diana Edulji, Anjum Chopra, Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj were recognised for their contribution to growing the game in India.
More recently, Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir and Ravichandran Ashwin were added, showing how modern Indian cricket continues to be honoured. In 2026, both Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur were included.
Cricketers with Padma Shri Awards
| Year | Name |
| 1960 | Vijay Hazare |
| 1960 | Jasu Patel |
| 1962 | Nari Contractor |
| 1962 | Polly Umrigar |
| 1963 | Syed Mushtaq Ali |
| 1964 | M.J. Gopalan |
| 1965 | D.B. Deodhar |
| 1967 | Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi |
| 1969 | Chandu Borde |
| 1970 | Bishan Singh Bedi |
| 1970 | E.A.S. Prasanna |
| 1971 | Gundappa Vishwanath |
| 1972 | Ajit Wadekar |
| 1972 | B.S. Chandrasekhar |
| 1973 | Farokh Engineer |
| 1975 | Pankaj Roy |
| 1982 | Kapil Dev |
| 1982 | Syed Kirmani |
| 1987 | Dilip Vengsarkar |
| 1988 | Mohammad Azharuddin |
| 1999 | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 2002 | Diana Edulji |
| 2003 | S. Venkataraghavan |
| 2004 | Rahul Dravid |
| 2004 | Sourav Ganguly |
| 2005 | Anil Kumble |
| 2009 | MS Dhoni |
| 2009 | Harbhajan Singh |
| 2010 | Virender Sehwag |
| 2011 | VVS Laxman |
| 2012 | Jhulan Goswami |
| 2014 | Yuvraj Singh |
| 2014 | Anjum Chopra |
| 2015 | Mithali Raj |
| 2017 | Virat Kohli |
| 2019 | Gautam Gambhir |
| 2020 | Zaheer Khan |
| 2023 | Gurcharan Singh |
| 2025 | Ravichandran Ashwin |
| 2026 | Rohit Sharma |
| 2026 | Harmanpreet Kaur |
FAQs
Q. Who received the Padma Shri at the 2026 ceremony in New Delhi?
A. Harmanpreet Kaur received the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Q. Why was Harmanpreet Kaur honoured?
A. She was honoured for leading India to a historic Women’s ODI World Cup win at home.
Q. What achievement is Harmanpreet Kaur aiming for next?
A. Harmanpreet Kaur is targeting a T20 World Cup win for India in England and Wales.
Q. Did Rohit Sharma receive the Padma Shri in the same ceremony?
A. Rohit Sharma was named a Padma Shri recipient. But will receive it later in a separate ceremony due to scheduling with IPL 2026.
Q. How many Padma Awards were given in 2026?
A. A total of 131 Padma Awards were announced across different fields in 2026.
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