BCCI to honour T20 World Cup-winning Indian team at Naman Awards

Mumbai, Sunday – The Board of Control for Cricket in India will place the sport’s biggest spotlight on its shortest format when the men’s squad that captured the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year is formally honoured at the annual Naman Awards 2026 this evening. The ceremony, staged at a city hotel, will celebrate a campaign that ended with India’s 96-run demolition of New Zealand in the final at Ahmedabad on 8 March and elevated the country to an unprecedented third T20 world title.

Led by captain Suryakumar Yadav and coached by Gautam Gambhir, the team’s dominant run through the tournament has already been etched into the record books: no side has ever won the T20 World Cup three times, a milestone the BCCI is eager to commemorate on home soil. The board confirmed that the trophy-winning group will take centre stage during a gala that has become Indian cricket’s most prestigious night of recognition.

In a departure from previous editions, the BCCI will also salute five Indian sides that have recently secured ICC silverware. Sharing the stage with the senior men will be the outfit that lifted the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Under-19 men’s unit that clinched the U-19 World Cup 2026, and the women’s U-19 squad that triumphed in the inaugural U-19 T20 World Cup 2025. Officials described the collective celebration as “a special moment for Indian cricket,” underlining a golden era of success across age groups and genders.

Individual excellence will be rewarded as well. India’s current Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill will receive the Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer (Men) for the 2024-25 season, while star batter Smriti Mandhana will be named Best International Cricketer (Women) for a record-extending fifth time.

Lifetime honours will go to three of the game’s most respected figures. Former India all-rounder Roger Binny, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning side and BCCI president from 2022-25, and batting great Rahul Dravid, whose 24,000-plus international runs were followed by a transformational stint as head coach that culminated in the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, will jointly receive the Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the board’s highest accolade. Former India women’s captain Mithali Raj will be conferred the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women.

Domestic performers have not been overlooked. Ira Jadhav will pick up the Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy for Best Woman Cricketer (Domestic), with Shafali Verma recognised as Best Woman Cricketer in the Senior Domestic One-Day format. Ayush Mhatre will receive the Lala Amarnath Award for Best All-Rounder in domestic limited-overs competitions, while Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey will be named Best All-Rounder in the Ranji Trophy. The Mumbai Cricket Association, which captured four domestic titles and finished runner-up in two events this season, will be declared the best-performing state association.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the evening’s theme is clear: “Celebrate excellence, inspire the next generation, and acknowledge every tier of Indian cricket that has contributed to this extraordinary cycle of success.”