Navi Mumbai: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup ODI final between India Women and South Africa Women at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil) (PTI11_02_2025_000585A)
The roar inside Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium wasn’t just sound; it was a physical weight, a 30,000 strong collective gust of hope and anticipation. It was the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final, India Vs. Australia, and the Indian team were struggling at 59/2 chasing a record 339 to bowl out the seven-time world champions.There was a knot of tension on the scoreboard. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur walked in. A walk that showed a quiet confidence—shoulders back, bat tucked under arm like a riding sword. She was a mixture of aggression and calm authority. Taking her guard, the bat traced a clean arc through the air and settled into a familiar, slightly open stance.The “fearless brand of cricket” she was careful to mention in her press conferences was then on full display at the most important moment of India’s domestic campaign. Harmanpreet played a blistering 89 (off 88 balls), fighting off cramps and pressure to pave the way for India’s momentous victory.In the league stage, India lost three consecutive matches which made the critics sharpen their knives. The transformation after that was seismic. Against the odds, the team rallied and found equipment no one thought they had. It was Harmanpreet’s leadership – her motivating presence, her ability to make a difficult look inescapable. She turned the campaign from a nervous breakdown into an inspiring comeback.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur takes a selfie with her family members with the victory trophy after their win over South Africa in the final match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Navi Mumbai, India, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
To understand the captaincy of 2025, we have to go back to the moment of creation: the semi-final of the 2017 ODI World Cup in Derby, England. If anyone moved the needle for women’s cricket in India, it was that rain-broken day on July 20, 2017, when Harmanpreet produced an epoch-making, unbeaten 115 balls to crush defending champions Australia.It was a ‘Kapil Dev 175* moment’ for Indian women’s cricket. An innings of incredible power and precision, studded with 20 boundaries and seven colossal sixes. It was and perhaps still is the best performance by an Indian cricketer on the global stage. And the win was not just a win, it was a social shift.Cricket suddenly became a bisexual sport in the eyes of millions of new Indian fans. Her fury in that knock was a statement, a declaration that Indian women are not just playing a game; they were there to own it, dominate it, and destroy opponents with unapologetic aggression.
Navi Mumbai: Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her family members pose for photographs with the trophy after winning the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Monday, November 3, 2025. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil) (PTI102_05883)
This strike of 2017 was the foundation on which the current era is built. It paved the way for visibility, central contracts, endorsements and a major step towards pay parity with men. Harmanpreet became the face of this revolution.Harmanpreet’s journey began far away from the bright lights of Mumbai, in the small town of Moga in Punjab. From the day she was born on International Women’s Day, her father Harmandar Singh Bhullar – a former volleyball and basketball player – celebrated with a ‘Good Batting’ t-shirt for her daughter.As a teenager, she accompanied her father to the Guru Nanak College Stadium in Moga, played cricket with the boys and cleared boundaries with ease. Her raw strength and hunger caught the attention of local trainer Kamaldeesh Singh Sodhi, who, along with his son Yadwinder Singh Sodhi, addressed her father, “Aap apni beti hume de do” (Give us your daughter). Her father, hesitant at first, eventually agreed, setting the stage for a meteoric rise.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur celebrates after winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai, India, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
“Even as a little girl, she would hit the ball so hard that other kids would complain. They always thought she was aiming for the fence, but she was aiming for the trees behind the fence. That power was always there,” Harmanpreet’s father said in an earlier interview.It was her first coach, Yadwinder Singh Sodhi, who honed this raw power in cricketing technique. Sodhi, who ran a cricket academy at Gyan Jyoti Public School in nearby Tarapur village, saw a child prodigy who wanted no concessions. “She never wanted to bat with soft balls or easier nets. She wanted to face the fast bowlers, the best boys in the academy. Her hitting was natural, but her determination to practice the hardest hits – the sixes – was unique. She was ready to take on the world even when she was just a teenager in Moga,” said Sodhi.After 171 runs, Harmanpreet’s stock rose dramatically, transforming her from a national talent to an international trailblazer. She etched her name in history in 2016 by becoming the first Indian cricketer – male or female – to sign a Big Bash League (BBL) contract with Australia’s Sydney Thunder. The move was monumental. Indian women’s talent has proven to be globally competitive and in high demand. Her success in the BBL, where she was named Sydney Thunder’s Player of the Tournament, opened the floodgates for other Indian players to pursue overseas T20 opportunities.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, left, shakes hands with South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt after the toss before the start of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final match between India and South Africa in Navi Mumbai, India, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
She further cemented her status as a trailblazer by signing to play for Surrey Stars in the 2017 Kia Super League (KSL) season, becoming the first Indian cricketer to be selected for the team. While she missed the 2017 season due to injury, her KSL journey continued, playing for Lancashire Thunder in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.Harmanpreet has also featured in The Hundred for teams like Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets and has left a strong mark with her all-round ability. She started with Manchester Originals in the inaugural season of 2021 and from 2023 appeared with Trent Rockets.
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For the younger generation – the Jemimahs, the Shafalis, the Pratikas – Harmanpreet is both a mirror and a window. A mirror of what a small town sprinkler can achieve; a window into the possibilities of playing the sport at the highest level in India. The ‘Harry di’ who emerged from Mog, who defied convention to become a six-hitting machine, now stands as a beacon for Indian women’s cricket.
