Smriti Mandhana Wins BBC Award
Indian women's cricket star Smriti Mandhana was named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025, with her mother Smita accepting the honor on her behalf. The recognition highlights the rising profile of women's cricket in India.
- The award follows a landmark year where Mandhana was the vice-captain of the Indian team that won the 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, scoring 434 runs during the tournament. - She also captained the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second consecutive Women's Premier League (WPL) title in 2025. - The winner was selected by a grand jury that included tennis legend Leander Paes, Paralympic medalist Deepa Malik, and world championship medalist in long jump, Anju Bobby George. - To win the honor, Mandhana was chosen from a strong field of nominees that included her teammate and India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, chess champion Divya Deshmukh, shooter Suruchi Singh, and hurdler Jyothi Yarraji. - This award adds to her extensive collection of honors, which includes being named the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year on two occasions (2018 and 2021). - Across her career, Mandhana has scored 17 international centuries, tying the record for the most by any player in women's cricket with Australia's Meg Lanning. - Other winners at the BBC awards ceremony included chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh for Emerging Player of the Year, para-athlete Preethi Pal as Para-Sportswoman of the Year, and former shooter Anjali Bhagwat who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. - Mandhana, who made her debut for India at age 16, is currently on tour with the national team in Australia.
