Smriti Mandhana’s remarkable journey in 2025 reached another peak as she bagged her fifth Best Female International Cricketer award at the BCCI Naman Awards. The Indian opener’s contributions were instrumental in a landmark year for women’s cricket.
Dominating white-ball cricket, Mandhana scored 1362 ODI runs in 23 innings at 61 average, with five hundreds and five fifties at 109 strike rate. In T20Is, nine games yielded 341 runs at 135 strike rate, marked by a century and two half-centuries. Combining formats, her 1800 runs from 36 matches included seven centuries.
The crown jewel was India’s maiden Women’s ODI World Cup win hosted at home. Mandhana’s 434 runs in nine outings, averaging 54 with one century and two fifties, placed her second on the run charts. In the title clash versus South Africa, her 45 off 58 with Shafali Verma’s century partnership shifted momentum decisively.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur captured the emotion: ‘This win means everything. From the inception of women’s cricket, ICC silverware was our dream. Every player shared it, and achieving it fills me with pride for our squad.’
As Mandhana collects accolades, her legacy as a prolific run-machine and clutch performer continues to inspire a generation, promising more triumphs ahead.