Harmanpreet Kaur was born on 8 March 1989 in Moga, Punjab. Her father, Harmandar Singh Bhullar, a sportsman in volleyball and basketball, later worked as a court clerk. From a young age, Harmanpreet was drawn to sports. One coach remembers her as a schoolgirl in uniform, dupatta tied around her waist, bowling medium pace to senior boys.

Her father saw her passion and enrolled her in a private cricket academy 30 km from home. Travel and expenses were tough, but coach Kamaldeesh Singh Sodhi supported her. Later, she moved to Mumbai in 2014 to work for Indian Railways and continue playing cricket.

Playing against boys built her strength and fearlessness. In one district match, she smashed a six that broke a house window and the neighbours cheered when they realized it was a girl who had done it.

Harmanpreet made her India debut in 2009 and became famous for her power hitting especially her unbeaten 171 against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final. She was also the first Indian woman to sign an overseas franchise deal (Sydney Thunder, 2016).

Before the 2025 World Cup, she changed her jersey number from 7 to 23, and soon led India to major wins, including the World Cup title.

Her journey — from Moga’s dusty grounds to world glory shows that courage, discipline, and belief can rewrite history.

Tags

• Harmanpreet Kaur
• Moga
• Punjab
• Indian

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