New Delhi: Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri by Droupadi Murmu during the Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.
Kaur received the honour following a historic year for Indian women’s cricket. In 2025, she led India to its maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title on home soil after defeating South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai. The triumph made her the first Indian women’s captain to win the Women’s World Cup and only the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to lift a World Cup trophy at home.
One of India’s most accomplished cricketers, Harmanpreet has represented the country extensively across all formats. She has scored more than 4,500 runs in One Day Internationals and nearly 4,000 runs in T20 Internationals, establishing herself as one of the leading figures in women’s cricket globally.
The ceremony also recognised several other distinguished personalities from Indian sports.
Praveen Kumar, the Paralympic gold medal-winning high jumper, was awarded the Padma Shri for his achievements in para athletics. After winning silver at the Tokyo Paralympics, he secured gold at the Paris Paralympics with a personal-best jump of 2.08 metres, becoming one of India’s top para sports stars.
Veteran hockey coach Baldev Singh was honoured for his immense contribution to Indian women’s hockey. He transformed Shahabad Markanda in Haryana into a major centre for hockey talent development and mentored several international players, including former India captain Rani Rampal.
The Padma Shri was also conferred on K. Pajanivel for his contribution to preserving and promoting the ancient Tamil martial art of Silambam. Through decades of teaching and demonstrations, he played a significant role in popularising the traditional art form both in India and internationally.
