Smriti Mandhana, vice-captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in sports this year. She is the only Indian to be included on this list. Time magazine’s 2026 list of the 100 most influential people in sports includes athletes, coaches, supporters, and investors who have played a significant role in sports.
The list includes sports superstars like American basketball legend LeBron James, football star Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu, tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, basketball player Victor Wembanyama, legendary golfer Rory McIlroy, South African cricket captain Temba Bavuma.
29-year-old Mandhana, vice-captain of the Indian women’s national team, is part of this exclusive club. Time magazine said about Mandhana, “Mandhana is the first Indian woman player to score a double century in a domestic ODI, she is the first woman player to score centuries in all three international formats and with 17 centuries, she is the joint record holder for the most centuries in international women’s cricket.”
Mandhana first female player to score a century in all three formats
Time highlighted Smriti Mandhana’s achievements in its profile. The magazine noted that the Mumbai-born left-handed opening batter is one of the most successful players in Indian women’s cricket and continues to set new records. It also mentioned that despite her individual achievements, Mandhana places greater importance on the team’s success.
“But Mandhana is proudest of the team honors she is also accumulating. She captained the Royal Challengers Bangalore to the 2024 and 2026 Women’s Premier League titles and was vice captain for India’s triumph at last year’s ICC Women’s World Cup, scoring the second-most runs in the tournament,” TIME said.
Under her leadership, Royal Challengers Bangalore won the Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles in 2024 and 2026. Additionally, she was the vice-captain of the Indian team that won the Women’s ODI World Cup last year; she was the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer and played a pivotal role in India’s title victory.
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