Rohit Sharma added another major national honour to his decorated career as he was conferred the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. The India cricket great was among the prominent names from sport recognised in the Padma Awards 2026, with the honour marking another milestone in a career built on consistency, leadership and some of Indian cricket’s most memorable modern triumphs.
Rohit’s name had been announced among the Padma Shri awardees on Republic Day eve earlier this year, with the formal conferment taking place during the Civil Investiture Ceremony. The Padma Shri is India’s fourth-highest civilian award and is given for distinguished service across fields, including art, public affairs, science, social work, medicine, literature, education, industry and sports.
For Rohit, the recognition comes after a long international career in which he has grown from one of India’s most gifted batters into one of its defining white-ball figures. Known for his elegant strokeplay, remarkable six-hitting ability and record-breaking ODI double-centuries, Rohit Sharma has also been central to India’s leadership group in recent years. His impact has stretched beyond individual records, with his captaincy and batting forming a major part of India’s modern cricket narrative.
Eight sportspersons named for Padma Shri in 2026
While Rohit remained the headline name from Indian cricket, the Padma Shri sports list for 2026 reflected a wider spread across disciplines. India women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur was also named for the honour, making it a significant year for cricket in the Padma Shri sports category. Harmanpreet has been one of the most influential figures in Indian women’s cricket, both as a power-hitter and as a leader who helped shape the team’s rise on the global stage.
Hockey also had strong representation, with Baldev Singh and Savita Punia included in the Padma Shri list. Savita, one of India’s finest goalkeepers, has been a central figure in the women’s hockey team’s progress over the last decade. Baldev Singh’s inclusion added another hockey name to a sports list that balanced current achievers with long-serving contributors.
The other Padma Shri awardees from sports were Bhagwandas Raikwar from Madhya Pradesh, K Pajanivel from Puducherry, Praveen Kumar from Uttar Pradesh and Vladimer Mestvirishvili from Georgia, who was honoured posthumously. Praveen Kumar’s recognition added a para-sport dimension to the list, while Mestvirishvili’s posthumous honour underlined the contribution of coaches and mentors in shaping Indian sporting success.
The eight Padma Shri sports awardees for 2026 are Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Baldev Singh, Bhagwandas Raikwar, K Pajanivel, Praveen Kumar, Savita Punia and Vladimer Mestvirishvili.
The broader sports honours also included tennis great Vijay Amritraj, who was named for the Padma Bhushan, a higher category than the Padma Shri. But within the Padma Shri list, Rohit stood as the biggest public-facing name, with the award recognising not just his numbers but his place in India’s cricketing consciousness.
For Indian sport, the 2026 Padma Shri list brought together contributions in cricket, hockey, para-sport, martial arts, and wrestling, making it one of the more diverse recent sports honour rolls. For Rohit Sharma, however, the moment was deeply personal and symbolic – a national civilian honour added to a career already packed with sporting milestones.
