Shubman Gill and Deepti Sharma Headline TOISA 2025 Cricket Honors in Lucknow
The glittering Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) 2025 ceremony in Lucknow on Saturday saw Indian cricket stars Shubman Gill and Deepti Sharma claim the prestigious 'Cricketer of the Year' titles in the male and female categories, respectively. The event, which recognized athletic excellence across more than 45 sporting disciplines, highlighted a remarkable year for Indian cricket on the global stage.
Award Winners and Special Recognitions
In addition to the top honors, the cricket category featured special recognition awards for spinner Kuldeep Yadav (Male) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (Female). The awards celebrated performances recorded during the evaluation period from January 1 to December 31, 2025, reflecting a period of significant achievement for Indian cricket across formats.
Shubman Gill's Stellar Leadership Year
For Shubman Gill, 2025 was a year defined by consistent excellence and emerging leadership. He secured two ICC Men’s Player of the Month awards during the year, becoming the first male cricketer to earn this honor four times in his career. Entering the ICC Champions Trophy as the top-ranked ODI batter, Gill set the tone for India’s title-winning campaign with an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in the group stage.
Gill also served as deputy to Suryakumar Yadav during the Asia Cup (T20), where India defeated Pakistan in the final to lift the trophy. In Test cricket, following the retirements of legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Gill took over the captaincy. He began his tenure with a century at Headingley, joining the elite group of Indian captains to score a hundred in their first Test in charge.
His remarkable Test performances included:
- Successive centuries at Edgbaston, featuring a monumental 269 – the highest Test score by an Indian captain.
- A second innings score of 161 in the same match, aggregating 430 runs – the second-highest individual total in a Test after Graham Gooch.
- Becoming only the third Indian captain to score five Test centuries in a single calendar year.
Deepti Sharma's World Cup Dominance
In the women’s category, Deepti Sharma delivered a historic all-round performance throughout 2025. She was named Player of the Tournament at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup after scoring 215 runs and taking 22 wickets across nine matches. This achievement made her the first cricketer in history to register the double of 200 runs and 20 wickets in a single World Cup edition.
Her crucial contributions in the final match in Mumbai played a pivotal role in India securing the World Cup title, cementing her status as one of the world's premier all-rounders.
Prestigious Selection Panel
The award winners were selected by an illustrious jury comprising legendary athletes whose achievements have shaped Indian sport. The panel for this edition included Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra, hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, former women's cricket captain Mithali Raj, table tennis champion Achanta Sharath Kamal, tennis legend Leander Paes, and Paralympic gold medalist Devendra Jhajharia.
Their collective experience and expertise ensured that the honors accurately reflected performances across all levels, recognizing contributions that defined India's sporting year. The TOISA 2025 ceremony not only celebrated individual achievements but also highlighted the growing depth and success of Indian cricket across both men's and women's formats.
