
Recognition of a sports icon with India’s highest civilian honor always brings a sense of national pride, celebrating individuals who have shaped the cultural and emotional landscape of the country. Two legends of modern cricket, male captain in latest edition of national honor Rohit Sharma and female captain Harmanpreet Kaurhas been awarded a prestigious honor Padma Shri. This historic achievement has taken the total number of Indian cricketers honored with this civilian honor to a historic peak, immortalizing some of the game’s greatest legends as well as their immense contributions.
Padma Shri is the country’s fourth highest civilian award conferred by the Government of India on the eve of Republic Day. It celebrates distinguished service in various fields including sports, arts, public affairs and science. The selection of Rohit and Harmanpreet underlines an unprecedented phase of international dominance for Indian cricket, highlighting exceptional leaders who have successfully translated talent into historic global silverware.
How Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur earned India’s fourth highest civilian honor
Rohit’s journey to Padmashree is a testament to resilience, growth and unparalleled leadership. Affectionately known as ‘Hitman’, Rohit has created an unforgettable legacy as one of the most destructive opening batsmen in cricket history. His tenure as national captain reached its pinnacle when he expertly guided the Indian men’s team to an undefeated, historic title at the 2024 T20 World Cup, breaking an 11-year ICC trophy drought. His selfless leadership remains a blueprint for modern cricket.
With this, Harmanpreet continues her illustrious journey as a great pioneer for women in sports. A dynamic, dynamic batsman, Harmanpreet permanently etched her name in folklore by leading the national team to a spectacular victory in the Women’s ODI World Cup. By doing so, she became the first captain of the Indian women’s team to lift ICC silverware. Her inclusion in the list highlights the remarkable progress and rapid growth of women’s cricket in India over the last decade, standing proudly alongside the pioneers of the past. Jhulan Goswami And Mithali Raj.
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Here is the complete list of Indian cricketers who have received Padma Shri
With the inclusion of two modern-day captains, the list of distinguished Indian cricketers to receive this prestigious medal spans across the ages, highlighting icons who have defined the game from the formative post-independence era to the high-octane 2020s.
While the iconic early hero prefers Vijay Hazare And Polly Umrigar With its foundation laid in the 1960s, subsequent generations have seen master strategists and great icons scale the same heights. Remarkably, Sachin Tendulkar Whereas, before receiving the Param Bharat Ratna, he had received the honor in 1999. ms dhoni The recognition was given after their inaugural T20 World Cup win in 2009. modern phenomenon Virat Kohli Joined the veteran ranks in 2017.
The complete chronological roll call of Indian cricketers awarded Padma Shri reflects the rich evolution of the country’s favorite game:
| Year | recipient |
| 1960 | Vijay Hazare |
| 1960 | Jasu Patel |
| 1962 | female contractor |
| 1962 | Polly Umrigar |
| 1963 | Syed Mushtaq Ali |
| 1964 | MJ Gopalan |
| 1965 | DB Deodhar |
| 1967 | Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi |
| 1969 | Chandu Borde |
| 1970 | Bishan Singh Bedi |
| 1970 | EAS Prasanna |
| 1971 | Gundappa Vishwanath |
| 1972 | Ajit Wadekar |
| 1972 | BS Chandrashekhar |
| 1973 | Farooq Engineer |
| 1975 | Pankaj Roy |
| 1980 | Sunil Gavaskar |
| 1982 | Kapil Dev |
| 1982 | Syed Kirmani |
| 1984 | Chunni Goswami |
| 1987 | Dilip Vengsarkar |
| 1988 | Mohammad Azharuddin |
| 1999 | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 2002 | Diana Edulji |
| 2003 | S Venkataraghavan |
| 2004 | Rahul Dravid |
| 2004 | Sourav Ganguly |
| 2005 | Anil Kumble |
| 2009 | ms dhoni |
| 2009 | Harbhajan Singh |
| 2010 | Virender Sehwag |
| 2011 | VVS Laxman |
| 2012 | Jhulan Goswami |
| 2014 | Yuvraj Singh |
| 2014 | Anjum Chopra |
| 2015 | Mithali Raj |
| 2017 | Virat Kohli |
| 2019 | Gautam Gambhir |
| 2020 | zaheer khan |
| 2023 | Gurcharan Singh (coach) |
| 2025 | R Ashwin |
| 2026 | Rohit Sharma |
| 2026 | Harmanpreet Kaur |
This iconic roll call underlines how cricket bridges eras, honoring those who have inspired millions of fans globally.


