The inauguration of the Harmanpreet Kaur stand (Source: @kkkumheriya/x.com)
A life without struggle feels like a delicious curry without spice. Practice definitely makes a person perfect, but struggle is the silent fuel that shapes every journey. As cricket is more than just a sport in India, fans take inspiration from the cricketers.
Chasing dreams is hard, but for India’s women cricketers, it’s a battle twice as tough. The nation hails Kohli’s brilliance, but takes a backseat when it comes to supporting the girl next door. No one understands doubt better than Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s skipper, who was once written off despite her blazing talent.
She answered every criticism with pure performance, rising from harsh judgments to having a stadium stand named after her. From being criticized to having a stand on her name in the Mullanpur stadium, Harman’s story is an inspiration, as the game never fails to reward the perfect warrior.
Punjab doubts her, and she turns the tables
In a middle-class family, when a brother and sister talk about playing cricket, the boy moves ahead unquestioned, while the girl is held back by society’s rules. The struggle unites both men’s and women’s cricket, but the women's stars faced more obstacles in breaking society’s so-called rules, which are made only for the girls. Sounds bizarre, but that is true.
From 20 years back to the recent times, the scenario has not changed much, as the current Indian Women’s team captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, is a living example of that. Growing up in Moga, Punjab, the Indian captain was full of talent, but society was far from believing this.
The state proudly backed its male stars, but when it came to lifting their own daughter, suddenly doubts appeared. In an interaction, her coach had said, when she was struggling for a job, they requested the Punjab police to offer her a role.
The answer was supposed to be yes, but the reality took a U-turn, showcasing the cruel reality of society. Society declared that a female cricketer had “no future, no scope, no job.” On that day, Harman probably took the oath to turn those doubts into warm praises. A few years later, the world bowed down to her.
Harman makes her state proud and touches home soil as a world champion
They say pure intentions can move mountains, and Harmanpreet Kaur proved it. She turned every humiliation into a fiery inspiration and lived in her dream. From the state of Moga to donning the Indian jersey, the road was full of stones, but Harmanpreet smashed every stone out of the park.
Shattering the domestic stage, she donned the prestigious blue jersey. His historic 171 was the rebirth of Women’s cricket in India. After that fiery 2017 World Cup storm, a nation finally believed in the Women in Blue, and Punjab had never been prouder of its unstoppable daughter.
But one thing was still undone till November 2025. Since the inception of the Women’s ODI World Cup, India has been searching for their maiden World Cup trophy but has missed out despite being close several times.
This year, the jinx was finally broken under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership. As the recent edition of the marquee event took place in India, the Women in Blue lifted the much-awaited trophy, defeating South Africa Women in the final. The victory was more than a win as the Punjab’s daughter put the state on the global stage.
She pours her life into cricket, and the stadium now echoes her name
When a youngster first holds a bat or a ball, they start dreaming of shining on their home ground. When young Harman was sharpening her cricketing skills may have dreamt of that too, but may have never expected that something more was waiting for her. After Harman came back to Punjab as the world champion, the state hailed her, but a bigger surprise was on hold.
Dazzling on home ground is thrilling, but what about playing in front of a stand named after yourself? Surreal right? Harmanpreet Kaur is set to live the moment soon. On December 11, as India faced South Africa at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur, a stand was unveiled in her name, a solid tribute to one of cricket’s true icons.
The ‘Harmanpreet Kaur Stand’, dazzling in the stadium. Punjab’s very own daughter, who was once criticized, now holds a whole stand where she once wished to play. It’s a moment of pride not just for the Indian captain, but for the entire state.
Every time society doubts a girl’s dream to play cricket, she can look at the stand and push even harder to silence the critics. Because now one Harman will be the inspiration of thousands of Harmans all over the nation.
