Polly Umrigar Award : Indian captain Shubman Gill was honoured with the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 held in New Delhi on Sunday, March 15. The award is given to the Best International Cricketer of the Year in men’s cricket.
At the same ceremony, India women’s team opener Smriti Mandhana received the award for Best Women’s International Cricketer of the Year, recognising her consistent performances for the national side.
A Remarkable 2025 Season for Gill
The year 2025 proved to be one of the most successful phases of Gill’s career, particularly in Test and One Day International formats. While his performances in T20 cricket were below expectations, his impact in longer formats remained impressive.
During India’s tour of England, Gill—leading the side in his first Test series as captain—delivered a memorable performance. Across 10 innings in the series, he scored 754 runs at an outstanding average of 75.40, including four centuries. His batting played a major role in India’s competitiveness throughout the series.
Key Role in Champions Trophy Triumph
Gill also made a significant contribution to India’s victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In a crucial match against Bangladesh national cricket team, he produced an unbeaten knock of 101 runs, guiding India to an important win.
Throughout the tournament, Gill scored a total of 188 runs and was ranked the world’s No.1 ODI batter during that period, underlining his dominance in the format.
Difficult Start to 2026
However, the beginning of 2026 brought challenges for the Indian captain in T20 cricket. Despite serving as the team’s vice-captain in the format, a prolonged dip in form led to his exclusion from the squad. Eventually, he was also left out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Interestingly, India went on to win the tournament without him. In the final, the India national cricket team defeated the New Zealand national cricket team by 96 runs to secure their second consecutive and third overall T20 World Cup title.
Despite the setback in T20s, Gill’s performances across formats in 2025 ensured he remained one of the standout cricketers of the year, earning him one of Indian cricket’s most respected honours.