Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur has been one of the most influential figures in Indian women's cricket in the 21st century, ranking alongside the likes of her predecessors Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj. She has paired explosive batting with sharp captaincy, been a figurehead in the India women's team's evolution, and led the side to the momentous 2025 World Cup win.

Harmanpreet made her India debut in 2009. Three years later, she was in charge of the side, leading them to the T20I Asia Cup title in Guangzhou against Pakistan, and then to wins in both white-ball series against Bangladesh at home. In the 2013 World Cup, her century against England, though it came in a loss, marked her as a talent to watch, and earned praise from the opposition captain, Charlotte Edwards. Harmanpreet got the job full-time across formats in 2016, in the wake of a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign for the team.

As a batter, she has been a fearlessly aggressive ball-striker - an approach she tempered with a mature mindset born of captaincy and tactical awareness as her career evolved. That ability to take the game away from the opponent with breathtaking big hitting was to the fore in her firestarting 171 not out in the 2017 World Cup against Australia, which took India through to the final and was invaluable for how it brought women's cricket into the public consciousness in India.

Eight years later Harmanpreet was front and centre at Indian women's cricket's finest hour till then, when they beat South Africa to take the World Cup title. A match before, the crunch game against Australia, she produced a decisive batting performance, a run-a-ball 89 in a partnership of 167 with Jemimah Rodrigues, to take India through to the final with a record successful chase.

In Tests, she led from the front with twin forties in the 2023 home Test win against England, and then captained India to a win against an Australia side that is easily the greatest women's cricket team of all time.

Harmanpreet became the first India cricketer - male or female - to sign a Big Bash League contract, with Sydney Thunder in Australia. That deal came about on the back of an impressive showing during India's tour down under in 2016, where she piloted India's highest T20I chase at the time. In June the following year, she became the first Indian to sign with Surrey Stars in the ECB's Kia Super League.

Her captaincy success with India has been mirrored in the WPL, where she led a star-studded Mumbai Indians team to the title in two of the first three seasons. In the 2025 win, she took the game away from Delhi Capitals with 66 off 44 balls after Mumbai lost their openers inside five overs.