Harmanpreet Kaur is an Indian cricketer who plays as an allrounder for the Indian Women’s national cricket team. As of 2023, she serves as the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in all formats. An Arjuna Awardee in cricket, Harmanpreet was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs. 1.80 crores at the inaugural Women’s Premier League auctions in Mumbai.
Wiki/Biography
Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar was born on Wednesday, 8 March 1989 (age 34 years; as of 2023) in Moga, Punjab. Her zodiac sign is Pisces.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s childhood picture
She did her schooling at Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar. After completing her class 12, she enrolled herself in a college in Jalandhar to pursue her graduation. However, she dropped out of college after pursuing her first year as her exam dates clashed with the cricket tournaments and the principal of the college was non-adjusting. Later, Harmanpreet attended Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut to pursue her graduation in arts, pursuing Sociology, Political Science, English, and General Awareness through distance learning from 2009 to 2011. Following her graduation, she applied for post-graduation in some other university. However, she could not pursue it due to overseas tournaments. In 2018, it was alleged that her degrees were fake. Harmanpreet was inclined towards sports since childhood. Talking about it in an interview, she said,
While growing up, I had a strong fascination for sports but was drawn to cricket simply because it was the most televised and popular sport in the country. I always wished to see myself on the television, but I did not have any idea if women’s cricket even existed because I never saw it on television.”
Growing up, her father’s passion for cricket was rubbed off on Harmanpreet Kaur, who began playing gully cricket with the boys in her locality. Her father, who watched her play cricket, often guided her on several occasions. As a kid, Harmanpreet played great shots, often sending the bowlers on a leather hunt. Soon, her father enrolled her at Gian Jyoti School Academy, which was 30 kilometres away from her home. At the academy, she was trained under the coach Kamaldeesh Singh Sodhi. Since the beginning of her cricketing career, Harmanpreet Kaur was inspired by the Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 3″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Harmanpreet Kaur’s parents are baptised Sikhs. Her father Harmandar Singh Bhullar is a clerk attached with an advocate at Moga District Court. He was once an aspiring cricketer, who gave up his passion for cricket due to unfavourable circumstances. Harmandar was also a volleyball and basketball player in his younger days. Her mother’s name is Satwinder Kaur. She has a brother named Gurjinder alias Garry Bhullar. Harmanpreet also has a younger sister, Hemjeet Kaur, who is a post-graduate in English and works as an assistant professor at Guru Nanak College in Moga.
Religion
Harmanpreet Kaur follows Sikhism.
Cricket
Domestic
Harmanpreet Kaur started playing cricket at the domestic level for Punjab Women. In the formative days of her career, Harmanpreet used to play with the boys. Kaur, who started off as a medium pace all-rounder, slowly improved her skills, giving consistent performances. Soon, she got a call-up for India’s 2009 World T20 squad. She also represents India Green Women. While playing for Punjab, Harmanpreet desperately required a job for her financial stability. However, the Punjab Government ridiculed her job application for Punjab Police in 2010. Three years later, when the former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recommended her name to the Maharashtra Government, she was employed in the Mumbai Division of Western Railways. Later, she was offered a job in the Punjab Police by Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh.
International
Test
Harmanpreet Kaur made her Test match debut on 13 August 2014 against England Women at Sir Paul Getty’s Ground in Wormsley. Being one of the eight debutants who played the match, Harmanpreet scored 9 runs and a duck in the match. Claiming 9 wickets in a Test match against South Africa women in November 2014 at Gangothri Glades Cricket Ground, Mysore, Harmanpreet helped India win the match by 34 runs and an innings. In May 2021, Harmanpreet was named as the vice-captain of the Indian women’s Test squad for their one-off match against the England women’s cricket team. She also represents India B Women.
Harmanpreet Kaur walking off the field in a Test match
One Day International
Harmanpreet Kaur played her One Day International match on 7 March 2009 against Pakistan Women in the 2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup played at Bradman Oval, Bowral. In the match, she gave 10 runs in 4 overs and took the catch of Armaan Khan on Amita Sharma’s bowl. Harmanpreet Kaur was named the One Day International captain of the Indian women’s squad in march 2013 for Bangladesh women’s tour in India. During the second match of the series, Harmanpreet scored her second ODI century.
Harmanpreet Kaur playing a One Day International match for India
She scored 195 runs in the series (including a century and a half-century) at an average of 97.50. She also took 2 wickets in the series. In February 2017, during a World Cup Qualifier match against South Africa, Harmanpreet Kaur lead her side to victory by hitting a six off the last ball of the innings. Later, many media houses compared her shot with that of MS Dhoni. In 2022, after Mithali Raj announced her international retirement, BCCI named Harmanpreet Kaur the captain of the Indian women’s squad for India’s One Day International tour of Sri Lanka. In the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia in Derby on 20 July 2017, Harmanpreet Kaur scored 171 (not out) off 115 balls, the second-highest score by an Indian women cricketer in One Day International. After beating Australia in the semi-finals, the Indian team (which Harmanpreet was a part of) reached the finals of the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, where the team lost to England by 9 runs. In January 2022, Harmanpreet was named in the Indian women’s squad for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
T20
Harmanpreet Kaur made her T20 International debut on 11 June 2009 against England Women at County Ground, Taunton. Harmanpreet scored 8 runs off 7 balls in her debut match. The next year, Harmanpreet played a quick-fire inning of 33 runs against England, displaying her ability to hit the ball at a long distance. In the 2012 Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup final, she was named the captain of the Indian women’s team as the then-captain Mithali Raj and then vice-captain Jhulan Goswami were out because of injuries. Her debut T20 international match as a captain was against Pakistan, which was won by India.
Harmanpreet Kaur raising her bat to play a ball during a T20 International
In January 2016, Harmanpreet scored 46 runs in 31 balls against Australia, leading India to win a series in Australia; it was India’s highest-ever chase in T20 internationals. Continuing her form in the 2016 ICC Women’s World Twenty20, Harmanpreet scored 89 runs and made seven dismissals in four matches. In 2018, Harmanpreet Kaur captained the Indian women’s squad in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies. In India’s first match of the tournament against New Zealand, Harmanpreet scored 103 runs off 51 balls, becoming the first Indian women cricketer to hit a century. Harmanpreet scored the maximum runs for India in the tournament with 183 runs in five matches. In the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, Harmanpreet played as the Indian women’s captain.
Women’s Big Bash League
In June 2016, Harmanpreet Kaur was picked up by the Australian T20 franchise Sydney Thunders for the 2016-2017 season of the Women’s Big Bash League, making her the first Indian cricketer (male or female) to play in Big Bash League. She was signed up by Sydney Thunders after seeing her impressive performance during India’s tour of Australia in January 2016, where she scored 46 runs off 31 balls, chasing the highest-ever T20 score. Apparently, three teams wanted to sign her up for the league. In November 2018, she was retained by Sydney Thunder for the 2018-19 season. In September 2021, Harmanpreet was signed by Melbourne Renegades for the 2021-22 Women’s BBL.
Kia Super League
In June 2017, Harmanpreet Kaur was signed by Surrey Stars in the second edition of ECB’s Kia Super League, becoming the first woman to compete in Kia Super League.
Women’s Cricket Super League
Harmanpreet Kaur represents Lancashire Thunder in the Women’s Cricket Super League.
100-Ball Cricket
In 2021, Harmanpreet Kaur was signed by Manchester Originals for the first season of The Hundred. In the tournament she played three matches, scoring 104 runs. Later, she backed out of the tournament due to an injury.
Commonwealth Games
Harmanpreet captained the Indian women’s cricket team that participated in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
Women’s T20 Challenge
Harmanpreet Kaur represents IPL Supernovas in the Women’s T20 Challenge.
Women’s Premier League
On 13 February 2023, during the auctions of the inaugural Women’s Premier League, Harmanpreet Kaur was picked up by Mumbai Indians for Rs. 1.80 crores.
Records
- In 2017, during India’s semi-final against Australia in the Women’s Cricket World Cup, Harmanpreet smashed 171 (not-out) runs off 115 balls, the fifth-highest World Cup score overall, and the highest-ever individual score made by an Indian women cricketer in the women’s World Cup.
- In November 2018, Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian women cricketer to score a century in a Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) match.
- In October 2019, during India’s T20 series against South Africa, Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian cricketer, male or female, to play in 100 international T20 matches.
- In March 2021, during India’s Harmanpreet Kaur became the fifth Indian women cricketer to represent India in 100 ODIs.
- In December 2022, Harmanpreet Kaur became the most capped player in Women’s T20 internationals, surpassing the likes of decorated cricket players like Suzie Bates, Danni Wyatt, Alyssa Healy, and Ellyse Perry.
- In February 2023, she became the first Indian women cricketer to score 3000 runs in T20 international.
Awards
- In 2016, Harmanpreet Kaur won the Sydney Thunder’s Player of the Tournament award for her all-round show in the debut season of WBBL.
- In 2016, Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded Best Allrounder Award by BCCI Senior Women’s Super League.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s award
- In 2017, Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded the Arjuna Award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Harmanpreet Kaur receiving Arjuna Award in Cricket
- In December 2017, Harmanpreet Kaur was a part of the Indian squad that was awarded ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year
- In September 2022, Kaur won the ICC Player of the Month Award for her excellent performance in the ODI series in England. She is the first Indian women cricketer to have received this award.
- She was named the 2022 Wisden Cricketer of the Year, making her the first Indian woman to achieve the feat. She was bestowed with this honour for her knock of 143 off 111 balls that helped India win their maiden ODI series in England since 1999
Controversies
Breach of a Code of Conduct
In 2017, during the second edition of the Women’s Big Bash League, Harmanpreet Kaur was charged for breaching the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct Article 2.1.2 in regards to “abuse of cricket equipment of clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a match.” The incident took place at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena after Harmanpreet was dismissed for 6 runs during the Thunder’s six-wicket loss.
Fake Degrees
In 2018, Harmanpreet Kaur was allegedly removed from her position as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Punjab and was demoted to the rank of a constable after her degrees were found to be fake in a vigilance inquiry conducted by the Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU), Meerut. Later, Harmanpreet defended herself in an interview and said that all her degrees were legal. She said,
When you did your graduation, did you go to the head office to verify your enrollment number? Nobody does that. I did exactly the same thing. If I am playing, my focus is obviously on cricket. Apart from that, I just wanted to complete my graduation. On the basis of my graduation certificate, I took admission in post-graduation course in a different university but could never take my exams because of overseas tournaments. Today, that very degree is being called fake.”
Feud with Mithali Raj
A controversy arose between Harmanpreet Kaur and Mithali Raj when Mithali was dropped from the World T20 semifinal against England in 2018. Later, it was rumoured that Mithali’s axing from the team was a collective call of the team management and Harmanpreet. Following India’s defeat in the match, Mithali’s manager, Annisha Gupta, took to Twitter to lash out at Harmanpreet. Calling Kaur a ‘manipulative, lying, immature and undeserving captain,’ Gupta said that the Indian women’s team believed in politics and not sports. Later, in a media conversation, Harmanpreet Kaur said that she felt so pained over the false allegations levelled against her that she once thought of quitting international cricket for a while.
Banned for two matches
On 25 July 2023, the International Cricket Council (ICC) imposed a two-match ban on her for violating the ICC Code of Conduct during the ICC Women’s Championship series against Bangladesh in Dhaka on 22 July 2023. Following her dismissal in the match, she vented her frustration by aggressively damaging the wickets and making disparaging remarks about the umpiring, which she termed as ‘pathetic.’ Additionally, the ICC fined her 75 percent of her match fee. Later, Kaur accepted her punishment and admitted to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision” and “public criticism in relation to an incident occurring in an international match.”
Favourites
- Film: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
Facts/Trivia
- Harmanpreet Kaur loves listening to music, playing football, and riding a bike in her leisure time.
Harmanpreet Kaur riding a bike
- Her jersey number for India is 84 and for Sydney Thunder is 45. Apparently, she wears the jersey number 84 to show solidarity with the victims of the 1984 riots.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s jersey number for Sydney Thunders
Harmanpreet Kaur in a cricket match
- Harmanpreet’s batting style is right-hand bat and bowling style is right-arm medium-fast.
- She has got Maa (in Hindi) and a few starts inked on her left forearm.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s tattoo
- In 2016, Harmanpreet was featured in an advertisement for Nike. She has also endorsed a few other brands like Elle.
- In July 2017, Harman became the second Indian batter to feature in the top-10 list of ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings after Mithali Raj.
- Harmanpreet Kaur follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- She has two pet dogs, Leo and Furry.
Harmanpreet Kaur and her pet dog Leo
Harmanpreet Kaur with her pet dog Furry
- Harmanpreet Kaur is very particular about her fitness and follows a strict workout regimen.
Harmanpreet Kaur during her workout session
- She has been featured on the covers of various magazines like Sports Illustrated, Elle, and Femina.
Harmanpreet Kaur on the cover of Femina India magazine
- Her friends and family members fondly call her Harry.
- In January 2023, Harmanpreet Kaur was appointed as the brand ambassador of Puma.
Harmanpreet Kaur endorsing Puma
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education