Gill, Shafali sweep ICC Player of the Month awards for September
New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) India captain Shubman Gill and opener Shafali Verma have been named the ICC Men's and Women's Players of the Month for September 2026 following their impressive performances in international cricket.
Gill earned the men's award for his outstanding showing in the ODI series against the West Indies, while Shafali was rewarded for her contributions to India's title-winning campaigns at the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games. The award marks Gill's fifth monthly honour, taking him level with West Indies captain Hayley Matthews for the most Player of the Month awards. His previous wins came in January and September 2023, and February and July 2025. For Shafali, it is her second such award. She first received the honour in November 2025 after playing a key role in India's Women's World Cup triumph, including a match-winning performance in the final against South Africa.
Gill made a strong start to September against the West Indies, scoring 110 in the opening ODI in Thiruvananthapuram before producing a stunning double century in the second match. His 223 off 133 balls powered India to an eight-wicket victory in the chase of 406, with 39 balls to spare. The innings was the fastest double-century in ODI history. "It feels fantastic to win my fifth ICC Player of the Month award, and I am grateful to the panel for this honour," Gill said. The Indian captain also highlighted how the demands of ODI cricket have evolved, particularly when chasing big totals. "The pace of ODI cricket has gone up significantly, and you must think on your feet, assess the conditions quickly and adapt to the demands of the pitch and the target," he added.
Shafali enjoyed an equally productive month, scoring 360 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 184.61. She also picked up six wickets at an average of 13 and an economy rate of 4.33. At the women's Asia Cup in the UAE, Shafali finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 236 runs in five innings. She struck 64 in the semi-final against Bangladesh and followed it up with 68 in the final against Sri Lanka as India secured a record-extending eighth title. She continued her rich vein of form at the Asian Games in Nagoya, scoring 188 runs in three innings. Her unbeaten 100 off 49 balls against Bangladesh in the semi-final was her maiden T20I century. Shafali then contributed 48 in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka, which India won by 147 runs. She also claimed four wickets during the Games, including two in the final. "It is an incredible honour to win the ICC Player of the Month award again," Shafali said. "It was immensely satisfying to play my part in our victories at the Asia Cup and the Asian Games, and winning this award makes those triumphs even more special."
India have now swept both the men's and women's Player of the Month awards on multiple occasions. Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana won the respective honours in June 2024, while Abhishek Sharma and Mandhana achieved the feat in September 2025. Newly-appointed India captain Smriti Mandhana retained the top spot in the ICC women's ODI batting rankings, while Australia's Ellyse Perry returned to the top 10 in the latest charts released Tuesday. Mandhana, who took over the captaincy from Harmanpreet Kaur recently, leads the ODI batting rankings with 790 points.
Harmanpreet is the only other Indian batter in the top 10, placed ninth. In the ODI bowling rankings, Deepti Sharma slipped one place to ninth, while Australia's Annabel Sutherland and Megan Schutt improved their positions to move into the top five. India also had three batters in the top 10 of the women's T20I rankings: Shafali Verma (4th with 759 points), Mandhana (5th with 754 points) and Harmanpreet (10th with 656 points). In the women's T20I bowling rankings, Shree Charani (817 points) and Deepti (754 points) occupied the top two positions. Deepti was the only Indian in the top 10 of the women's T20I all-rounders' rankings at fourth. She was placed sixth in the ODI all-rounders' list. India were ranked third in both the women's T20I and ODI team rankings.
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