Gill, Mandhana named best international cricketers at BCCI Naman Awards
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New Delhi: Shubman Gill and Smriti Mandhana were named the Best International Cricketers (Men’s and Women’s) at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 in New Delhi on Sunday, in recognition of their outstanding performances during the 2024–2025 season.
Gill received the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award, while Mandhana claimed the women’s award for a record fifth time.
For Gill, it marked his second Cricketer of the Year honour after first winning it in 2023.
Former India stars Roger Binny, Rahul Dravid and Mithali Raj were presented with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest recognition by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, for their immense contribution to Indian cricket.
Gill enjoyed an exceptional 2025 season, further cementing his place as one of India’s most dependable batters in the longer formats of the game.
During India’s tour of England, the skipper led from the front in the five-Test series, finishing as the top run-scorer with 754 runs in 10 innings at an impressive average of 75.40, including four centuries and a highest score of 269.
He also played a key role in India’s triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy last year. Entering the tournament as the world’s No.1-ranked One Day International batter, Gill struck an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh national cricket team in India’s opening match and finished with 188 runs in the competition.
Mandhana, meanwhile, ended 2025 with a remarkable tally of 1,703 international runs, including 1,362 in One Day Internationals — the most by any woman cricketer in a calendar year. In doing so, she became the first batter in women’s ODI history to score 1,000 runs in a single calendar year.
She also made vital contributions to India’s maiden title victory at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, amassing 434 runs in nine matches to finish as India’s leading run-scorer and the second-highest overall in the tournament.
Prior to the World Cup, the left-handed batter smashed a 50-ball century against Australia women's national cricket team in New Delhi, registering the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian batter and surpassing Virat Kohli’s previous record of a 52-ball century.
With PTI inputs