Shubman Gill Bags Polly Umrigar Award, Smriti Mandhana Makes History With Fifth BCCI Honor
Mumbai: Shubman Gill and Smriti Mandhana secured the Best International Cricketer awards in the men’s and women’s categories at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Naman Awards 2026. The ceremony recognized their statistical dominance during the 2024–2025 international cricket season.
Shubman Gill Secures Second Polly Umrigar Award
Gill earned the Polly Umrigar Award for the second time, adding to his 2023 recognition. His 2025 season featured heavy run-scoring in Test matches and One Day Internationals (ODIs). Operating at the top of the order, Gill anchored the batting lineup during India’s five-Test series in England.
In white-ball cricket, Gill contributed to India’s Champions Trophy victory. Entering the tournament as the top-ranked ODI batter, he scored an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh and concluded the event with 188 runs.
Gill’s 2025 Test Series Statistics in England
| Innings | Runs | Average | Centuries | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 754 | 75.40 | 4 | 269 |
Smriti Mandhana Breaks ODI Records
Mandhana received the Best International Cricketer honor for a record fifth time. She aggregated 1,703 international runs in 2025 across formats. Mandhana registered 1,362 runs in ODIs, becoming the first female batter to surpass the 1,000-run threshold in a single calendar year.
- Women’s World Cup: Scored 434 runs in nine matches, finishing as India’s top run-getter and second-highest overall in the tournament.
- Fastest Century: Recorded a 50-ball hundred against Australia in New Delhi. This broke the previous Indian record of 52 balls established by Virat Kohli in 2013, according to ESPNcricinfo historical records.
Lifetime Achievement Recognitions
The BCCI also awarded the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award to three former national team captains. Roger Binny, Rahul Dravid, and Mithali Raj received the organization’s highest accolade for their long-term contributions to Indian cricket on and off the field.