Last Updated: June 24, 2026 03:47 PM
Indian cricketers have received lots of awards. One special award is the Padma Shri. It’s India’s fourth-highest civilian award really. A total of 42 cricketers got this award. Most recent ones got it recently.

Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet got it in 2026. They received this honor. It shows cricket’s importance in India. Recognizing great cricketers is very important. Let’s know about this special award.
About the Padma Shri Award
Padma Shri was started on January 2, 1954. The Government of India gives this award on Republic Day. January 26 is when it happens. The award ranks fourth in India. Below it are three other awards.
Bharat Ratna is the highest award. Padma Vibhushan comes second in the ranking. Padma Bhushan is the third award. Padma Shri comes fourth in rank. Sports is one field that gets recognition for outstanding contributions. Indian Cricketers Honored with Padma Shri. It’s a big honor for anyone.
First Indian Cricketers to Receive
Vijay Hazare got it first in 1960. He was the first cricketer to get. Jasu Patel got it that in the same year they both received honors. Both were very good cricketers then. They set the tradition for others. Cricket got recognition through its honor.
More cricketers got it after them. The award continued for many years. Each year, more cricketers receive it. India appreciated their cricket contributions well.
Recent Recipients and Notable Names
Ravichandran Ashwin got it in 2025. He was one recent recipient there. Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur got it in 2026. Both are current-generation cricketers. They represent modern Indian cricket well.
Sachin Tendulkar got it in 1999. He was cricket’s greatest legend. Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly got in 2004. MS Dhoni got it in 2009. Virat Kohli got it in 2017. Kapil Dev got it in 1982. He was a pioneer in cricket. A total of 42 Indian cricketers have been honored with Padma Shri to date.
Since 1960, many cricketers have been honored. 38 men cricketers received this award. 34 women cricketers got it too. The list goes till 2026. Nari Contractor is on the list. Bishan Singh Bedi received this award. Zaheer Khan received the Padma Shri.
Diana Edulji, Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj are the other women cricketers who received the honor. Indian Cricketers Honored with Padma Shri as the list shows cricket’s importance.
Each recipient truly deserves this honor. Their contributions are well recognized. Cricket history is made through them. These awards always inspire young cricketers.
| No. | Recipient | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vijay Hazare | 1960 |
| 2 | Jasu Patel | 1960 |
| 3 | Nari Contractor | 1962 |
| 4 | Polly Umrigar | 1962 |
| 5 | Syed Mushtaq Ali | 1963 |
| 6 | M. J. Gopalan | 1964 |
| 7 | D. B. Deodhar | 1965 |
| 8 | Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi | 1967 |
| 9 | Chandu Borde | 1969 |
| 10 | Bishan Singh Bedi | 1970 |
| 11 | E. A. S. Prasanna | 1970 |
| 12 | Gundappa Vishwanath | 1971 |
| 13 | B. S. Chandrasekhar | 1972 |
| 14 | Ajit Wadekar | 1972 |
| 15 | Farokh Engineer | 1973 |
| 16 | Pankaj Roy | 1975 |
| 17 | Syed Kirmani | 1982 |
| 18 | Kapil Dev | 1982 |
| 19 | Chuni Goswami | 1984 |
| 20 | Mohammad Shahid | 1986 |
| 21 | Dilip Vengsarkar | 1987 |
| 22 | Mohammad Azharuddin | 1988 |
| 23 | Sachin Tendulkar | 1999 |
| 24 | Diana Edulji | 2002 |
| 25 | Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan | 2003 |
| 26 | Rahul Dravid | 2004 |
| 27 | Sourav Ganguly | 2004 |
| 28 | Anil Kumble | 2005 |
| 29 | MS Dhoni | 2009 |
| 30 | Harbhajan Singh | 2009 |
| 31 | Virender Sehwag | 2010 |
| 32 | VVS Laxman | 2011 |
| 33 | Jhulan Goswami | 2012 |
| 34 | Yuvraj Singh | 2014 |
| 35 | Mithali Raj | 2015 |
| 36 | Virat Kohli | 2017 |
| 37 | Gautam Gambhir | 2019 |
| 38 | Zaheer Khan | 2020 |
| 39 | Gurcharan Singh | 2023 |
| 40 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 2025 |
| 41 | Rohit Sharma | 2026 |
| 42 | Harmanpreet Kaur | 2026 |







