World Cup-winning Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award at the first Padma Awards 2026 ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Monday.
The Padma Awards are received by individuals for their distinguished service in any field. The Padma Bhushan is India’s third-highest civilian award after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Visbhushan. The Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award.
Harmanpreet Kaur received the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu award after guiding the Indian women’s cricket team to their maiden ODI World Cup title last year.
“This recognition is not just mine – it belongs to my parents, family, coaches, teammates, friends and every single person who supported and believed in me throughout this journey,” Harmanpreet said after receiving the award. “From a young girl with dreams in her eyes to representing India on the biggest stages, every moment has been possible because of your love, sacrifices and encouragement.
“Wearing the India jersey will always remain the greatest honour of my life, and I will continue giving my best for the country every single day,” she added.
Earlier this year, Harmanpreet Kaur was among nine sportspersons, including former athletes and coaches, who were confirmed as recipients of this year’s Padma awards.
Vijay Amritraj (Padma Bhushan), Baldev Singh (Padma Shri), Bhagwandas Raikwar (Padma Shri), K Pajanivel (Padma Shri), Praveen Kumar (Padma Shri), Rohit Sharma (Padma Shri), Savita Punia (Padma Shri) and Vladimir Mestvirishvili (Posthumous Padma Shri) were the other eight sportspersons shortlisted.
A total of 131 Padma Awards were approved for 2026, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards across various fields. On Monday,
Indian President Droupadi Murmu presented two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri honours during the first Civil Investiture Ceremony on Monday, with the remaining set to be presented later.
Traditional martial artist K Pajanivel, Paralympic gold medallist Praveen Kumar and hockey coach Baldev Singh were the other sportspersons who were presented with Padma Shri awards in Monday’s ceremony.
However, Rohit Sharma, who was the Indian men’s team captain during its title winning campaigns at the T20 World Cup 2024 and the Champions Trophy 2025, was not in attendance at the ceremony and will receive his Padma Shri award at a later date.
Indian tennis great Vijay Amritraj and Olympian Savita Punia will also receive the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards, respectively, in another ceremony.
A trailblazer in Indian tennis, Vijay Amritraj represented India at the Seoul 1988 Olympics and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 18 in singles in 1980.
He reached four Grand Slam singles quarter-finals – twice each at Wimbledon (1973 and 1981) and at the US Open (1973 and 1974).
Savita Punia was the India women’s hockey team’s vice-captain during their historic fourth-placed finish at Tokyo 2020.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/padma-awards-2026-ceremony-harmanpreet-kaur-padma-shri
