Indian cricket stars Shubman Gill and Smriti Mandhana were honoured as the Best International Cricketers (Men’s and Women’s) at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 ceremony. The awards recognised their exceptional performances during the 2024–25 cricket season.
Gill received the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award, while Mandhana won the Best International Cricketer (Women) award for the fifth time, further strengthening her legacy in Indian women’s cricket.
For Gill, it marked his second Cricketer of the Year award, having previously won it in 2023.
Lifetime Achievement Honours
Three legendary figures of Indian cricket — Roger Binny, Rahul Dravid, and Mithali Raj — were conferred with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest recognition given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for outstanding contributions to Indian cricket.
Indian Teams Also Honoured
During the ceremony, India’s five ICC trophy-winning teams were also felicitated for their remarkable achievements. These included victories in:
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ICC Champions Trophy 2025
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ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025
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ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025
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ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026
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ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
Gill’s Outstanding Year
- Shubman Gill enjoyed an exceptional 2025 season, establishing himself as one of India’s most dependable batters in the longer formats of the game.
- During India’s tour of England, Gill led the team brilliantly in the five-Test series, scoring 754 runs in 10 innings at an impressive average of 75.40. His tally included four centuries, with a highest score of 269.
- Gill also played a crucial role in India’s triumph at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, entering the tournament as the world’s No.1 ranked ODI batter. He scored an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in the opening match and finished the competition with 188 runs.
Mandhana’s Historic Batting Record
- On the women’s side, Smriti Mandhana had a phenomenal year in 2025. She scored 1,703 international runs, including 1,362 runs in ODIs, which was the highest by any female cricketer in a calendar year.
- Mandhana also became the first batter in women’s ODI history to score more than 1,000 runs in a single calendar year, a remarkable milestone.
- She played a major role in India’s historic victory in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, scoring 434 runs in nine matches and finishing as India’s leading run-scorer in the tournament.
- Earlier in the season, Mandhana smashed a 50-ball century against Australia in New Delhi, registering the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian batter, surpassing Virat Kohli’s previous record of a 52-ball century.
Other Domestic Award Winners
Several domestic performers were also recognised for their impressive performances during the 2024–25 domestic cricket season:
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Shafali Verma – Best Woman Cricketer (Senior Domestic One-Day)
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Ira Jadhav – Best Woman Cricketer (Domestic)
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Harsh Dubey – Best All-Rounder in the Ranji Trophy
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Ayush Mhatre – Best All-Rounder in Domestic Limited-Overs Competitions
The BCCI Naman Awards ceremony celebrated not only individual excellence but also the collective success of Indian cricket across international and domestic formats.