A scintillating year with the bat saw Smriti Mandhana power India to a maiden Women’s ODI World Cup crown, while Deepti Sharma’s allround heroics earned her the Player of the Tournament honour in India’s triumph at home.
Boxer Jaismine Lamboria clinched her maiden World Championship while Divya Deshmukh not only became the first Indian to win the FIDE Chess World Cup, thereby booking a place in the Candidates tournament but also ticked off a major milestone by earning the Grandmaster title
Making waves
Seventeen-year old Anahat Singh, who continues to make waves in the global squash circuit, contributed to India’s World Cup triumph. She also won her third consecutive National title.
All these trailblazers are nominated for the coveted Sportstar of the Year (Female) honour in the eighth edition of the Sportstar Aces Awards.
Vote for your favourite star by scanning the QR code below until February 28.
Additionally, there are 19 Jury Awards which will be deliberated on by an elite panel headed by legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, former India hockey captain M.M. Somaya, chess great Viswanathan Anand, and Olympians Anjali Bhagwat and Aparna Popat complete the jury.
There will also be a separate Chairperson’s Award for Sports for Social Good, which will honour individuals or organisations that have used the power of sports to make our world a better place.
Published – February 19, 2026 06:49 am IST
