Full List of Padma Shri Sports Winners 2026: Rohit Sharma & Harmanpreet Kaur Among Honourees

Harmanpreet Kaur and Rohit Sharma received the Padma Shri, which is India’s fourth-highest civilian award, for their immense contribution to sports. The list of 131 Padma awards was announced by the central government on Sunday, and both the World Cup-winning captains received this award.

Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur Lead India’s Sports Stars Honoured

Harmanpreet Kaur made history last year by becoming the first Indian captain to win the Women’s Cricket World Cup. She was 36 years old and playing her fifth ODI World Cup. She displayed good leadership skills when her team was under pressure. India lost three matches consecutively, but they made a fantastic comeback by defeating Australia in the semi-final and South Africa in the final to win the trophy.

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Rohit Sharma Batter

Rohit Sharma, known as ‘Hitman’, is an Indian cricketer who plays for Mumbai and the Indian cricket team.

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Harmanpreet Kaur Allrounder

Harmanpreet Kaur is the current captain of the Indian women's national cricket team and a prominent all-rounder, known for her aggressive batting.

Harmanpreet said that,

"My dad got a call from President House. This year I'm going to get the Padma Shri Award," Harmanpreet said in a Mumbai Indians video. "I think it's a very big moment for me. And I'm happy that, you know, before me my parents got to know,"

Rohit Sharma, now 38, has led India to many big successes. Under his captaincy, India reached the ODI World Cup final in 2023, won the T20 World Cup in 2024, and lifted the Champions Trophy in 2025. After winning the T20 World Cup, he retird from T20 cricket. He also stepped away from Test cricket after the 2024-25 Australia tour. However, Rohit is still aiming to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup.

 Harmanpreet added that,

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

Harmanreet Kaur started her international cricket journey in March 2009. She became famous around the world in 2017 after playing a memorable innings against Australia in a World Cup match. Her performance that year earned her the Arjuna Award, one of India’s top sports honours.

This year, 113 people from different fields like sports, arts, literature, and public service were chosen for the Padma Shri awards. Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj was the only sportsperson to receive the Padma Bhushan, which is India’s third-highest civilian honour.

list of Padma Awards 2026 - Sports Winners

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