Tennis great Vijay Amritraj, men’s cricket World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma and women’s World Cup-winning skipper Harmanpreet Kaur were among the leading sportspersons honoured in the Padma Awards for 2026, announced on Sunday.
Amritraj was the only sportsperson to receive the Padma Bhushan this year. India’s third-highest civilian honour recognises his role in taking Indian tennis to the global stage during the amateur era and the early years of the Open Era.
A former Davis Cup mainstay, Amritraj had earlier been awarded the Padma Shri in 1983 and the Arjuna Award in 1974. During his playing career, he reached the singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open twice.
After retirement, he continued to contribute to Indian sport through administrative and ambassadorial roles.
Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur were named for the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour. Rohit’s award follows a defining phase in Indian men’s cricket.
As captain, he led India to two ICC titles, winning the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the Champions Trophy in 2025.
After the T20 World Cup triumph, he retired from the shortest format and stepped away from Test cricket in 2025, while continuing to play ODIs. Harmanpreet Kaur’s Padma Shri comes after a standout year for Indian women’s cricket.
In 2025, she captained India to their first ICC Women’s World Cup title, defeating South Africa in the final at Navi Mumbai.
The victory made her the first Indian captain to win the Women’s World Cup and only the second Indian skipper overall, after MS Dhoni, to lift a World Cup at home.
Other sportspersons awarded the Padma Shri include Paralympic gold medal-winning high jumper Praveen Kumar, Indian women’s hockey goalkeeper Savita Punia, veteran coach Baldev Singh, and K Pajanivel.
Former wrestling coach Vladimer Mestvirishvili, who trained Olympic medallists Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia, was awarded the Padma Shri posthumously. In all, 131 Padma Awards were announced for 2026.
The list includes five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards across fields such as sports, arts, literature and public service.
