Thursday marked a significant encounter in New Delhi as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann welcomed Harmanpreet Kaur, skipper of the World Cup-winning Indian women’s cricket team, to his official residence. The visit celebrates Kaur’s pivotal role in bringing home the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup trophy.
India’s journey to glory was a rollercoaster. They started strong, defeating Sri Lanka by 59 runs (D/L) and Pakistan by 88 runs. Setbacks came with 3-wicket losses to South Africa and Australia, and a 4-run defeat to England. A rain-abandoned match against Bangladesh preceded a 53-run (D/L) victory over New Zealand, clinching semis.
The semifinal thriller saw India chase down Australia’s total with 5 wickets in hand, setting up a final showdown. There, they outplayed South Africa by 52 runs to lift the cup. Kaur aggregated 260 runs in the tournament at a stellar 89.04 average over 8 innings in 9 games.
Recently, against Australia at home, India won a three-match ODI series 2-1 in Feb-March but lost the next ODI series 0-3. The single Test went Australia’s way by 10 wickets. Kaur’s contributions: no bat in T20I-1, 36 in T20I-2, 2* in T20I-3; 53, 54, 25 in ODIs; 19 & 11 in Test.
Boasting a rich career with 7 Tests, 164 ODIs, and 190 T20Is, Kaur’s leadership inspires millions. This high-profile meeting with Mann reflects Punjab’s joy in her success, potentially signaling future support for sports development in the state.