Shubman Gill and Smriti Mandhana were honoured with the top individual honours at the BCCI’s Naman Awards 2026 in New Delhi.
On Sunday, March 15, Gill received the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer in men’s cricket, while Mandhana was named the BCCI’s Best International Cricketer in women’s cricket.
For Gill, it marked his second Cricketer of the Year honour after first winning the award in 2023 following a prolific year with the bat for India. As an opener that year, he amassed 1,584 runs in 29 ODIs at an average of 63.36 and a strike rate of 105.45, including five centuries.
“Firstly, thank you to the BCCI for recognising me with this award. Many greats and legends of Indian cricket have received it before, so it is a huge honour for me to be here,” Gill said at the ceremony.
“What we as an Indian cricket group were able to achieve last year was truly tremendous — five ICC trophies, something I don’t think has ever happened before. I want to thank my teammates because none of this would have been possible without them. I would also like to thank my parents and family members for helping me reach where I am today,” he added.
For Mandhana, the recognition marked the fifth time she has won the award, having previously claimed it in 2018, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24 and 2024–25.
“I mean, I can talk about this award, but I can’t really speak about individual achievements without mentioning the team. It has truly been a brilliant year. So thank you — and thank you to the BCCI for supporting women’s cricket the way you have. I hope we continue to reach even greater heights,” Mandhana said.
Gill rises as India’s batting mainstay
Gill enjoyed a stellar 2025 season, particularly in the longer formats, establishing himself as one of India’s most dependable batters.
During the tour of England, he led from the front in the five-Test series, finishing as India’s highest run-scorer with 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, including four centuries and a top score of 269.
At one stage, he had already accumulated 585 runs in the first two Tests alone during what was his maiden series as Test captain after replacing Rohit Sharma.
Gill also played a key role in India’s triumphant campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Entering the tournament as the world’s No.1-ranked ODI batter, he made an immediate impact with an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in India’s opening match.
He finished the tournament with 188 runs, making him India’s third-highest run-scorer while providing stability at the top during the title-winning run.
However, Gill endured a quieter start to 2026 after being left out of India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with selectors opting for a different combination at the top. Despite that, the BCCI honoured his outstanding contributions over the past year at the Naman Awards.
Mandhana’s record-breaking run
Mandhana has been one of India’s standout performers since the start of 2025, delivering a record-breaking run across formats and further cementing her status as the face of Indian women’s batting.
She finished 2025 with a staggering 1,703 international runs, including 1,362 in ODIs — the most by any woman in a calendar year. In the process, Mandhana became the first batter in women’s ODI history to score 1,000 runs in a single calendar year, a milestone she achieved during the Women’s World Cup.
Mandhana also played a crucial role in India’s victorious campaign at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025. She ended the tournament as India’s leading run-scorer and the second-highest overall, scoring 434 runs in nine matches at an average of 54.25.
Her consistency at the top proved vital in India’s title-winning run and underlined her ability to deliver on the biggest stage.
The left-hander rewrote the record books again in September 2025, smashing a 50-ball century against Australia in New Delhi — the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian batter, men or women — surpassing the previous 52-ball record held by Virat Kohli.
Later in December, Mandhana became the first Indian and only the second player overall to cross 4,000 runs in Women’s T20 Internationals, achieving the milestone against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam.
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