The captain of the Indian women's cricket team, Harmanpreet Kaur, was conferred the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, following her immense contributions to Indian cricket and helping the "Women in Blue" clinch the World Cup title on home soil.
This year she is one of the sportspersons felicitated, as is veteran batsman Rohit Sharma of Team India. They were the only two cricketers to be awarded in the list for 2026.
The honour was presented in the first Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan where President Murmu awarded the Padma awards, which are the highest civilian honors, to various categories including Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Altogether, 131 Padma Awards were approved for 2026, and there will be more to be felicitated in another phase.
"My dad got a call from President House. This year I'm going to get the Padma Shri Award. I think it's a very big moment for me. And I'm happy that, you know, before me my parents got to know," Harmanpreet said in a video shared by her Women's Premier League's team, Mumbai Indians.
"Many many congratulations to [Rohit] also. We have seen how, you know, he has been really working hard and I think it's a great moment for him," she added.
Harmanpreet has now played in a total of seven Test matches for India. She has 230 runs and an average of 23.00 runs and her highest score is 69 runs.
Key Highlights:
- Harmanpreet Kaur received the Padma Shri for leading India’s women’s team to a historic World Cup win
- She and Rohit Sharma were the only two cricketers in the 2026 Padma award list
- The awards were presented at Rashtrapati Bhavan during the Civil Investiture Ceremony led by President Droupadi Murmu
The 37-year-old batsman has also played 164 ODI and 195 T20I matches for the "Women in Blue". She has 4541 runs (24 half-centuries, seven centuries) in 50 overs. The right-hander's most recent efforts in the shortest format have seen him earn his 3991 runs, including a ton and 16 half-centuries.
Harmanpreet has enjoyed an outstanding international career for India. She has played in 164 ODIs, amassed 4,541 runs with an average of 37.22 including seven centuries and 24 half-centuries. As far as T20 Internationals are concerned, she has scored 3,991 runs in 195 matches, including one century and 16 fifties. She is also a member of the Indian squad that has played seven Tests for India and has 230 runs to her name, including one half-century.
On the eve of Republic Day 2026, the Government of India announced 131 awards under the categories of Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, with five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri being awarded. The government hailed Harmanpreet as “one of the most dynamic and impactful cricketers of her generation.”
Besides Harmanpreet, India captain Rohit Sharma, Paralympian gold medalist Praveen Kumar, India women's hockey goalkeeper Savita Punia, veteran coach Baldev Singh, K Pajanivel and Bhagwandas Raikwar were also given the Padma Shri. Vijay Amritraj, tennis giant, will be awarded the Padma Bhushan and Vladimir Mestvirishvili will be awarded the Padma Shri, posthumously.
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