Prolific batters Smriti Mandhana and Shubman Gill were named the Best International Cricketers (Men’s and Women’s) at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 on Sunday (March 15, 2026), recognising their outstanding performances in the 2024–2025 season.

Gill won the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award, while Mandhana received the award for the fifth time.

For Gill, it was his second Cricketer of the Year award after first winning it in 2023.

Former stars Roger Binny, Rahul Dravid and Mithali Raj were honoured with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the BCCI’s highest honour, recognising their outstanding service to Indian cricket.

Gill enjoyed a stellar 2025 and established himself as one of the team’s most dependable batters in the longer formats.

On the tour of England, skipper Gill led from the front in the five-Test series, finishing as the top run-getter with 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, including four centuries and a top score of 269.

Gill also played a pivotal role in India’s Champions Trophy triumph last year, having entered the tournament as the No.1-ranked ODI batter in the world. He made an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in India’s opening match, and finished the tournament with 188 runs.

Mandhana finished 2025 with 1,703 international runs, including 1,362 in ODIs, the most by any woman in a calendar year. In doing so, Mandhana became the first batter in women’s ODI history to score 1,000 runs in a single calendar year.

Mandhana also made handsome contributions to India’s maiden Women’s World Cup title triumph, aggregating 434 runs in nine matches to end as the tournament as India’s leading run-scorer and the second-highest overall.

Before the World Cup, the left-hander Mandhana smashed a 50-ball century against Australia in New Delhi to register the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian batter, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 52-ball effort.

India opener Smriti Mandhana headlined the Indian presence in the women’s player draft for The Hundred, while compatriot Richa Ghosh secured a deal worth £50,000 (approximately ₹61 lakh) and all-rounder Deepti Sharma also earned a contract during the auction on Wednesday (March 11, 2026).

A total of 178 players went under the hammer in the draft, while 28 had already been either retained or signed directly by franchises ahead of the event.

The League will start on July 21 and conclude on August 16.

Richa was snapped up by Manchester Super Giants for £50,000 after the franchise made a solitary bid that was enough to secure the services of the Indian wicketkeeper-batter.

Manchester Super Giants had earlier strengthened their squad by directly signing Mandhana along with Australia great Meg Lanning, while England spinner Sophie Ecclestone was retained by the side.

Deepti, meanwhile, was picked up by SunRisers Leeds at what was considered a bargain price of £27,500 (approx ₹34 lakh). The franchise opened the bidding and faced no further competition to land the experienced Indian all-rounder.

However, India’s Yastika Bhatia and Sree Charani were left disappointed as they went unsold in the draft.

Each women’s franchise had a purse of £880,000 to assemble their squads. Following direct signings and retentions, Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Southern Brave and Trent Rockets were left with £520,000 each ahead of the draft.

Manchester Super Giants, MI London, SunRisers Leeds and Welsh Fire had slightly larger budgets, with £570,000 remaining in their purse before bidding began.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals aren’t in uncharted territory as they gear up for the final of the Women’s Premier League on Thursday. Two seasons ago, it was these two teams that battled for the grand prize at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Smriti Mandhana and Co. emerged victorious then, spreading cheer among a fervent fan base yearning for silverware.

Cut to the present, the circumstances ahead of the final at the Kotambi Stadium differ slightly. Unlike in 2024, RCB qualified for the summit clash this time directly after topping the league standings. It has led to a week-long build-up to the big game for the Bengaluru outfit. To allow the players to unwind for a bit before redirecting their energies to the task at hand, the team enjoyed a three-day breather in Goa immediately after its last game.

Capitals, on the other hand, have had to take a more arduous route. Having finished first in the league phase in the previous three seasons only to lose the final, Jemimah Rodrigues’ side may not mind this scenario. After a feeble beginning to the campaign, the three-time runner-up has found all the pieces of the jigsaw coming together in recent matches.

Besides handling the responsibility of captaincy with poise, Jemimah has exhibited exquisite touch with the willow of late. In a chase of 169 against Gujarat Giants in Tuesday’s Eliminator, the 25-year-old’s 23-ball 41 at No. 4 was essential in shutting out the hosts altogether. Lizelle Lee, Shafali Varma and Laura Wolvaardt are also in sparkling form.

For RCB, the fourth edition has been smooth-sailing. It won its first five games, and suffered a blip in the form of two defeats only after sealing its spot in the playoffs. In addition to Smriti, Grace Harris, Georgia Voll and Richa Ghosh are fully capable of swaying the outcome in RCB’s favour with the bat. For the wickets, RCB will look towards Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk and Shreyanka Patil.

Will a repeat of 2024 unfold? Or will Capitals turn the tables? Either way, it will perhaps come down to fine margins.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Smriti Mandhana praised the team’s bowling unit after a dominant win against Delhi Capitals in the 11th match of the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season on Saturday (January 17, 2026).

DC captain Jemimah Rodrigues, on the other hand, praised Shafali Verma’s batting but admitted the team’s bowling needs to improve.

Chasing 167, Smriti Mandhana (96 off 61 balls, including 13 fours and three sixes), along with Georgia Voll (54* runs off 42 balls, including five fours and two sixes), were the standout performers with the bat for the Bengaluru-based franchise.

On the bowling front, Lauren Bell (3-26 in four overs) and Sayali Satghare (3-27 in three overs), along with Prema Rawat (2-16 in three overs), were the standout performers.

After winning the Player of the Match award for her 96-run innings, Mandhana praised the bowling unit for executing their plans brilliantly, especially in the opening overs.

“It was amazing to see everyone bowling well, especially in the first three overs. Sayali and Bell doing what they do best. I feel everyone executed the plans well. Anya has been on it, she is an experienced player and she knows having done it. We wanted to get Shafali off the strike and everyone just bowled extremely well in that phase,” Mandhana said at the post-match presentations.

Mandhana said chasing made batting easier, as it helped her decide which bowlers to attack and defend against.

Mandhana also noted that bringing Georgia Voll in at No. 3 strengthened the batting line-up, making the team more balanced.

“It was good. Chasing a total is a lot easier than setting up as you never knew what is a good total. When we lost Grace, I knew which bowlers to take on and which bowler to defend. Good it worked. We thought we were one batter short in the last three games, and Voll coming in at No. 3 fits in well,” Mandhana added further.

Delhi Capitals’ captain Jemimah Rodrigues praised Shafali’s aggressive batting that lifted the team from 10/4 to 166/10 in the end. However, she also added that the team needs to improve its bowling and will return with a fearless, all-out approach.

Jemimah Rodrigues said, “From 10 for 4 how Shifu [Shafali] batted was great and I was so happy with the way she kept the intent on. And also Lucy in her debut game. I knew she could bat but I have never seen her bat. It was crazy. She was so calm under pressure. She ended up taking our team to a fighting score. [On not bowling Kapp earlier] There are always those moments. Maybe I could have got Kapp back early. But Nandani also bowled well. We have to work on our bowling and come back stronger. We have nothing to lose and will go all out.”

Chasing 167, RCB were rocked early as they lost opener Grace Harris (1) early in the innings, whose wicket was claimed by DC’s Marizanne Kapp.

However, a 142-run partnership off 91 balls not only brought RCB back into the game, but it also made sure the team remained unbeaten in the WPL 2026.

While DC did manage to get rid of Mandhana in the final stages of the match, Voll remained unbeaten and took RCB over the line with a boundary, with 10 balls remaining.

For DC, only Marizanne Kapp (1-21 in four overs) and Nandini Sharma (1-34 in four overs) were the wicket-takers in the match.

Earlier, Delhi Capitals were bundled out for 166 in 20 overs. After being reduced to 10/4, the Capitals slumped to 74/6 at one stage after they lost wicketkeeper-batter Lizelle Lee (4), Laura Wolvaardt (0), captain Jemimah Rodrigues (4), Marizanne Kapp (0), Niki Prasad (12), and Minnu Mani (5).

Opener Shafali Verma played a superb knock of 62 runs off 41 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes. She was supported by Sneh Rana (22) and Lucy Hamilton (36) as they rescued Delhi to 166.

Smriti Mandhana scripted history on Sunday (December 28, 2025) as she became the second Indian and fourth overall among women to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs in international cricket.

The India women’s star batter achieved the historic feat during the fourth T20I of the five-match series against Sri Lanka at the Greenfield International Stadium here. In the seventh over of Team India’s innings, Mandhana completed her 10,000 runs in women’s international cricket.

The left-handed batter became the fourth women batter after Mithali Raj, Suzie Bates, Charlotte Edwards and the second Indian after Mithali to achieve the 10,000-run milestone.

In Test cricket, Mandhana has notched up 629 runs in seven matches and 12 innings at an average of 57.18, with two centuries and three fifties.

With 5,322 runs in 117 ODIs and innings at an average of 48.38, with 14 centuries and 34 fifties, Mandhana is the sixth-highest run-getter in the ODI format.

In T20Is, Mandhana has slammed 4,102 runs in 157 matches and 151 innings at an average of 29.94, SR of 124.22, a ton and 32 fifties. She is the second-highest run-getter in this format.

During the fourth T20I against Lanka, Mandhana reached her well-deserved fifty in 35 deliveries during the 12th over. Mandhana has 32 50-plus scores in WT20Is, the most by a batter, followed by 29 each for Suzie Bates and Beth Mooney.

The left-handed batter made 80 runs off 48 balls with the help of 11 fours and three sixes, which helped India to post their highest team total (221/2) in women’s T20I cricket.

Mandhana has enjoyed one of the greatest calendar years by an Indian batter. In 23 ODIs, Mandhana scored 1362 runs at an average of 61.90 and a staggering strike rate of 109.92, smashing five centuries and five half-centuries. She finished as the highest run-scorer in ODIs in 2025.

Mandhana also rewrote the record books by registering the fastest ODI century by an Indian, reaching the milestone in just 50 balls against Australia, surpassing Virat Kohli’s long-standing record of 52 balls against the same opponent.

Her World Cup campaign was equally remarkable. She scored 434 runs in nine matches at an average of 54.25, including a century and two fifties; she finished second on the highest run-scorer list in this year’s tournament.

She rose to the occasion against the most prominent opponents, scoring 80 against Australia, 88 versus England, 109 against New Zealand, and a crucial 45 in the World Cup final, where she stitched a vital partnership with a returning Shafali Verma.

Mandhana also crossed the 5,000-run mark in women’s ODIs, becoming the fifth player to achieve the feat. She now has 5,322 runs in 117 matches and is level with Australian great Meg Lanning for the most international centuries in women’s cricket, with 17 tons each.

From needing 57 runs from as many balls and with four wickets in hand, India shockingly succumbed to a four-run defeat against England at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday (October 19, 2025).

A largely comfortable chase went awry despite Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana setting up the foundations for what should have been an easy win in the women’s World Cup.

Smriti, who fell in the 42nd over, shouldered the blame for the collapse.

“We could have done better with our shot selections. It started from me, so I will take it on me, the shot selection should have been better. We just needed six runs per over. Maybe we should have taken the game deeper. The collapse started from me,” she said.

“I was trying to aim over covers and I mistimed that shot. Maybe the shot wasn’t needed at that time. I needed to be more patient, throughout the innings I was trying to tell myself to be patient and not to play aerial shots. But the emotions took over for that one, which never helps in cricket.”

“Walking back, I was pretty confident that we’ll be able to get the win,” she admitted.

With constant balance issues in the campaign, India bit the bullet and went for a six-bowler lineup. This meant Jemimah Rodrigues made way for Renuka Singh Thakur.

Smriti said that the conditions in Indore and the need to find the right combination were what prompted a rejig of the team combination.

“In the last two matches, we thought that five bowling options were not good enough, especially on a flat track like Indore or how maybe the second match in Vishakhapatnam [against Australia] played out. With five options, if one bowler has a bad day, it really costs us. It was definitely a very tough call to drop a player like Jemi, but sometimes you need to do those sorts of things to get the balance right,” she said.

The 29-year-old also said that India, unlike its rivals Australia, England or New Zealand, does not have the privilege of a strong bowling depth. She, however, said that the team combination will be tinkered with on a match to match basis.

“We are not privileged enough to have our batters who could bowl a few overs, which a lot of other teams have. But it’s not like this [six bowler setup] is going to be there, we’ll have to see how the situation is, how the wicket will play and then we’ll take a call.”

India’s hopes of nicking the last spot in the semifinals depends heavily on victories in its remaining matches.

“In cricket, nothing comes easy. For sure, the next match [against New Zealand] would be the virtual quarterfinal in terms of getting into the top four. You don’t play cricket to have easy days. We’ll all take this in our stride. We know where we could have gotten done better, where we went wrong. When you’re playing a sport, you’re meant to have good days and bad days. It’s about how you take those bad days and we move on.”

Graceful opener Smriti Mandhana scored the second fastest women’s ODI hundred off just 50 balls in the third one-day international against Australia in New Delhi on Saturday (September 20, 2025).

Mandhana went past former Australian batter Karen Rolton’s record (off 57 balls) made in 2000-01 against South Africa.

Former Australian skipper Meg Lanning leads the list of fastest century makers with a 45-ball century which she made against New Zealand in 2012-13 season.

The 29-year-old Mandhana’s 50-ball effort, which included 14 fours and four sixes, was also the fastest by an Indian batter, as the left-hander rewrote her own earlier record of a hundred in 70 balls.

Mandhana is also the first woman batter to make four ODI hundreds in a single year as she had achieved the feat in 2024.

Tazmin Brits of South Africa is the other batter to achieve this feat.

She has also become only the second batter to score successive hundreds in women ODIs twice after Tammy Beaumont of Australia.

New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite holds the record for most consecutive hundreds in women’s ODI with four tons in a row in 2016-2017.