Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The recognition comes on the heels of a historic achievement.
Harmanpreet led India to their first-ever ICC title when the women’s team won the ODI World Cup 2025, defeating South Africa in the final. With this triumph, she became the first women’s captain and only the third skipper overall, after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni, to lead India to an ODI World Cup trophy.
The road to the title was far from easy. At one stage, the team was on the cusp of elimination during the league stage.
However, they fought back to reach the semi-finals, where they crushed Australia Women by scripting the record for the highest-ever chase in Women’s ODI cricket, before outplaying South Africa by 52 runs in the final.
With the Padma Shri in hand, Harmanpreet is already setting her sights on the next challenge.
She will captain India Women in the T20 World Cup 2026 in England, with the team beginning their campaign against Pakistan on June 14 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India have never won a Women’s T20 World Cup, and Harmanpreet will be eager to add another chapter to her already storied legacy.
