Top 10 Moments that Define Harmanpreet Kaur’s Legacy

The current captain of the Indian women’s cricket team and the Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Harmanpreet has been a trailblazer in the sport, known for her powerful hitting and aggressive leadership. Her journey is a testament to strength and resilience that embody the spirit of women’s cricket today. From her captaincy debut in the 2012 T20 Asia Cup final to leading Mumbai Indians to their inaugural WPL title in 2023, Harmanpreet’s career has been punctuated by memorable milestones. Here, we look back at the top 10 moments that define her remarkable cricketing journey so far, as she continues to inspire generations of women cricketers worldwide.

1) Captaincy Debut, T20 Asia Cup Final (Vs Pakistan, 2012)

Harmanpreet Kaur made her international debut in an ODI on 7th March 2009 against Pakistan. She also made her captaincy debut against the same opposition, which happened to be the final of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Women’s T20 Asia Cup final at the Guangdong International Cricket Stadium on 31st October 2012. She announced her arrival in style in terms of her leadership skills, coming across as a smart tactician and a dynamic leader. Her smart moves on the field proved to be decisive as India successfully clinched the T20 Asia Cup title defending a small total of 82 against their arch-rivals in her debut game as India’s skipper.

The title triumph was just the beginning of Harmanpreet Kaur the captain’s journey, early on in her career. As they say, the rest is history, 12 years down the line, she stands as India’s most successful captain with a sensational win percentage of around 58% in the T20I format in the women’s game.

2) Maiden International Century (Vs England, 2013)

After leading India to their T20 Asia Cup triumph, it was time for her to stamp her authority as a batter, and she did just that when she notched up her maiden international century against England (107* off 109 balls) at the Brabourne Stadium, in Mumbai on 3rd February 2013. What made the knock more significant was the fact that it came in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in India, taking a step towards making her name as a big game player for India. She was left stranded at one end, and a lack of support from the other batters ensured that Harmanpreet’s effort wasn’t good enough for her side to seal the victory, ultimately falling short of the total by 32 runs.

3) 9-wicket haul in Tests (Vs South Africa, 2014)

If it was the batter showing up her potential with her maiden international century coming against a strong England side in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2013 in India. It was then time for Harmanpreet Kaur, the bowler, to showcase her expertise with the ball for India, in the longest format, Test cricket.

Having made her Test debut on 13th August 2013, against England at Sir Paul Getty’s Ground, Wormsley, it didn’t take long for her to make the world take note of her brilliant bowling performances. She returned with her career-best match figures of 41.2-15-85 (which stands true to date) against South Africa led by skipper Mignon du Preez in a one-off Test Match from 16–19th November 2014 at Gangothri Glades Cricket Ground, Mysore. Her return in the game included a five-wicket haul (16-5-44-5) in the first innings for India. As a result, India sealed the game by an innings and 34 runs.

4) First Indian to feature in Overseas T20 Franchise (WBBL 2016)

By now, Kaur had established herself in the Indian team, coming across as one of the prominent contributors and an impact creator for her side. Her career graph took an upward curve when she notched her name into the history books, becoming the first Indian to feature in an Overseas T20 Franchise League when she was signed by Sydney Thunder in the 2016-17 Season of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). She became the first Indian cricketer, male, or female to sign a contract with the Big Bash League team.

Representing Thunder in her debut WBBL season, she amassed 296 runs at a strike rate of 116.99 and a sensational average of 59.20 in 12 innings with the bat and registered the highest of 64* for her club that season. Besides her impactful contributions with the bat, she also picked up six wickets at an average of 17.66 and an economy of 7.06 in eight innings. With her all-round contributions, she announced herself at the franchise level with an impressive debut season in the WBBL.

5) Highest score in international cricket, 171* (Vs Australia, 2017)

It was time for another Women’s ODI World Cup, this time in England, in 2017. The tournament had a different feel in terms of the build up to it, and it was poised to be one of the most closely fought tournaments, with most of the teams bringing their best crop of talented cricketers together. India led by skipper Mithali Raj entered the tournament as the silent under-dogs of the competition. The Women in Blue finished the league stages as the 3rd placed side of the tournament with 10 points from seven games which included five victories and a couple of defeats in the competition. As a result of their top four finish, they booked their spot for the semi-final of the tournament.

India faced the formidable Australian side led by skipper Meg Lanning in the 2nd semi-final at County Ground Derby. The stage was set for something special that was to unfold. Indian skipper Mithali Raj won the toss and opted to bat first. The whole world took note of India’s potential in the women’s game as a 28-year-old Harmanpreet Kaur tore apart the Australian attack with her nonchalant aggression and a fearless approach smashing a record unbeaten century of 171 off 115 balls, peppering the boundaries 20 times and clearing the ropes on seven occasions during her breath-taking innings. India posted a massive total of 281/4 in a rain curtailed 42-overs-per-side contest. India eventually emerged victorious by 36 runs and booked their spot in the final. She rightly earned the Player of the Match in the semi-final. However, they eventually ended as the runners-up of the tournament courtesy of a heart-breaking 9-run defeat to England in the final.

6) Arjuna Award (August 2017)

Harmanpreet Kaur’s remarkable contributions to inspiring the growth of women’s cricket in the country were rewarded as she was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in August 2017 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Her iconic innings of 171* (115 balls) against Australia, still stands as one of the greatest innings of all time in ODI cricket. Her all-round exploits continue to inspire the next and the current generation of women cricketers across the country and the globe.

7) First Indian to score a T20I century, 103 (Vs New Zealand, 2018)

After capping off a memorable year for India in the ODI format in 2017, it was time for Harmanpreet Kaur to catch the eyeballs of the spectators and the fans in the T20I format. It was the opening game of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2018, in West Indies. India led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was up against New Zealand in a Group B clash on 9th November 2018. After opting to bat first, she blew away the White Ferns with her record-shattering century, 103 off 51 balls, which included seven boundaries and eight maximums. She became the first Indian to score a century in Women’s T20Is.

Yet again, she reminded the world of her power-hitting prowess. She was also awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational performance with the bat for her side. She finished as the leading run-scorer for India and the 2nd highest run-scorer of the tournament with 183 runs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 160.52 and an impressive average of 45.75 in seven innings with the bat.

8) Commonwealth Games Silver (Birmingham, 2022)

After playing an instrumental role in placing India as one of the strongest rising competitors in women’s cricket, it was time for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Women in Blue to leave their mark in one of its kind global events. In July–August 2022, marked the first time that women’s cricket was included in the Commonwealth Games. The global event was held in Birmingham.

Under the dynamic leadership of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, India finished 2nd on the points table in group A with four points from three games, including a couple of victories and a solitary defeat against Australia in the first game by three wickets. India progressed into the final by defeating England by four runs in the 1st Semi-final. Yet again, India was up against Meg Lanning’s Australia in the final of the Commonwealth Games.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side fought till the end and took the game deep, but, unfortunately, ended up on the losing side by 9 runs in the final. Nonetheless, it was still a podium finish as Harmanpreet Kaur’s Women in Blue clinched the silver medal on 7th August 2022, which in itself is a significant achievement, definitely the one to be proud of. She finished the tournament as the 3rd highest run-scorer for India with 137 runs at an impressive strike rate of 139.79 and an average of 34.25, including a couple of half-centuries to her name.

9) Fastest to 150 T20 Internationals (Vs Ireland, 2023)

Kaur’s hard work, dedication in training and in the nets places her in a league of her own in terms of longevity. She has also managed to create that remarkable impact and is making her imprint as the greatest of all time to have graced the T20I format. She achieved a prestigious landmark in a game against Ireland on 20th February 2023, in the 8th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa, becoming the first-ever male or female cricketer to play 150 T20I internationals. She also became the first Indian to score 3,000 Women’s T20I runs en route to her knock.

10) Inaugural WPL Champions with Mumbai Indians (2023)

India’s runner-up finish in the 2017 edition of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup against the hosts England led to a popular increase in demand calling for the inception of India’s first-ever franchise tournament for women cricketers. The BCCI announced the launch of the Inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), with as many as five franchises, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Giants, and UP Warriorz participating in the tournament. Mumbai Indians secured the services of the Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at a whopping 1.80 CR in the inaugural auctions and was named their captain. They formed a strong core of international stars and local stars, making them a force to be reckoned with.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur inspired the Mumbai Indians with her exemplary leadership as they were crowned as the inaugural champions of the tournament, defeating the Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning in the final by seven wickets on 26th March 2023 (Sunday), etching her name into the history books as the first-ever skipper to lift the WPL title at the Brabourne Stadium, in Mumbai. They defeated the UP Warriorz led by skipper Alyssa Healy by 72 runs in the Eliminator. She was the 2nd highest run-scorer for Mumbai Indians and the fourth highest run-scorer of the tournament with 281 runs at an impressive strike rate of 135.09 and an average of 40.14 in nine innings, which included three half-centuries with a high score of 65 in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Related Articles