Harmanpreet Kaur’s name is set to become a permanent name at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Mullanpur. Fresh off leading India to their first-ever Women’s Cricket World Cup title, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has decided to name a stand in her honour. There aren’t many higher honors for a cricketer and the recognition that Harmanpreet now gets is the most significant achievement in the history of women’s cricket in India.
History made by Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet recently led the Indian women’s team to its watershed moment. Co-hosting the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup with Sri Lanka, India saw their star captain join the likes of Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as a world cup winning leader. India did the unthinkable by beating Australia in the semi-final via the highest run-chase in Women’s ODI history. Then, the Women in Blue beat South Africa in the summit clash and the entire country entered into a euphoria.
Speaking at an event with CNN News18 on November 28, Harmanpreet confirmed the news publicly for the first time. “I have already received a letter from PCA saying that they will soon unveil a stand after me at Mullanpur,” she said, visibly pleased. Now, she becomes the first woman cricketer in the country to be honoured in this fashion.
Dream come true for Harmanpreet’s India
The recognition comes less than a month after India’s tense win over South Africa in the final, a result that ended decades of close calls and heartbreak. India had reached the final in both 2005 and 2017 but could not go all the way. This time, they edged out defending champions Australia in the semi-final before overcoming South Africa in a nervy finish. Harmanpreet Kaur herself played a great innings in the semis, giving support to Jemimah Rodrigues, who dished out an innings of a lifetime.
“Lifting the World Cup was a dream we cherished since childhood,” Harmanpreet said. The India captain also credited the BCCI and secretary Jay Shah for backing women’s cricket in recent years, adding, “the pay parity and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) initiatives have been immensely helpful.”
Harmanpreet received the Champion of the World honour at the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year ceremony, attended by Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. Notably, the Vizag stadium recently named a stand after Mithali and Ravi Kalpana, and now Mullanpur will carry Harmanpreet’s name too. The Indian team returns to action later in December for a five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, their first since the World Cup win.
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