"It's a very big moment for me": Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on being honoured with Padma Shri award

Kaur was among several sportspersons in the list of 2026 awardees announced on the eve of the 77th Republic Day. Padma Shri is India's fourth-highest civilian honour.

Kaur made history last year when she led India to their maiden ODI World Cup title in women's cricket history. after beating South Africa in the final.

"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 Mumbai Indians video.

Along with Kaur, former Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will also be conferred with the Padma Shree award. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India's men's team clinched the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 title in Barbados and the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai.

Kaur also congratulated Sharma and praised his hard work, saying, it's a great moment for him.

"Many, many congratulations to [Rohit] also. We have seen how he has been really working hard, and I think it's a great moment for him," Harmanpreet said.

"The moment I started playing cricket, I've been dreaming about winning the World Cup and Arjuna Award and then Padma Shri Award, this is a very big achievement for me," she added.

For the year 2026, the President has approved conferment of 131 Padma Awards, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one), as per the list below. The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards.

These Awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Padma Awards are among the highest civilian honours of the country and are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.

Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field.

Full list of Padma Awards 2026 for sports persons:

Padma Bhushan - Vijay Amritraj.

Padma Shree - Baldev Singh, Bhagwandas Raikwar, K Pajanivel, Praveen Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Savita Punia, Vladimer Mestvirishvili. (ANI)