The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to celebrate excellence across the Indian cricketing spectrum at the Naman Awards 2026 on Sunday (March 15) in New Delhi.
The annual ceremony recognises exceptional performances and enduring contributions across international, domestic and age group cricket while honouring individuals whose work has shaped the growth and stature of the game in the country.
At this year’s ceremony, Roger Binny and Rahul Dravid will be conferred with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the BCCI’s highest honour recognising outstanding service to Indian cricket.
Mithali Raj will receive the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women, recognising her extraordinary contribution to the growth and global stature of women’s cricket in India.
Binny played an instrumental role in India’s historic 1983 World Cup triumph with 18 scalps -- the most by any bowler in the tournament. Under his coaching, India won the Under-19 World Cup title in 2000. He served as BCCI president from 2022 to 2025, while also being part of the national selection committee.
Dravid is widely regarded as one of the greatest batters to play for India, having amassed 13288 runs in Tests and 10889 runs in ODIs. He also holds the unique record of facing the maximum number of deliveries (31258) in Test history.
Dravid transitioned into coaching after retiring from cricket in 2012, mentoring IPL teams before guiding India U-19 and A sides to prominence, including a 2018 U-19 World Cup win. He was appointed head coach of the senior Indian men's team in 2021, culminating in winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“Mr Dravid will be honoured for his immense contribution to Indian cricket, both as one of the finest batters the game has witnessed and as a coach and guiding force who shaped a new era of Indian cricket. Mr Dravid’s illustrious international career was built on a batting technique straight out of the manual, steely resilience, rock solid defence and overall mastery. He accumulated over 24,000 international runs, anchored India’s batting line up across formats for more than a decade and played a central role in many of the team’s most memorable victories as a batter and captain,” BCCI said in a release.
“Following his playing career, Mr Dravid seamlessly transitioned into a role that helped shape the future of Indian cricket. As Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), he played a pivotal role in strengthening India’s player development pathways, mentoring young cricketers and helping build a robust pipeline of talent for the national teams. His influence was most visible when he guided India’s Under 19 team to victory at the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup in 2018.
“His impact continued to grow when he took over as Head Coach of the Indian men’s team. He brought with him the same clarity of purpose and emphasis on discipline that defined his playing career. Under his guidance, Team India lifted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024. The triumph reflected the team’s resilience, preparation and dominance on the global stage. Through his leadership across India’s cricketing ecosystem, Mr Dravid has played a defining role in shaping the present and future of Indian cricket,” the release added.
One of the greatest icons of women’s cricket, Mithali Raj will receive the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the growth and global prominence of the women’s game.
Over the course of a remarkable international career spanning more than two decades, Mithali redefined standards of excellence with her elegance, consistency and leadership. As the highest run scorer in women’s ODIs with 7805 runs at an average of 50.68, she set benchmarks that transformed the perception of women’s cricket in India and inspired countless young girls to take up the sport.
The Naman Awards will also recognise outstanding performances across international, domestic, and age-group cricket during the 2024-25 season.
India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill will receive the Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer (Men) for the 2024–25 season for the second time. Smriti Mandhana will receive the Best International Cricketer (Women) award for the fifth time in her career.
Among domestic performers, Ira Jadhav of Mumbai will receive the Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy for Best Woman Cricketer (Domestic) following a prolific season with the bat. Shafali Verma of Haryana will be honoured with the Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy for Best Woman Cricketer (Senior Domestic One Day) for the 2024-25 season.
Ayush Mhatre of Mumbai will receive the Lala Amarnath Award for the Best All-Rounder in Domestic Limited Overs Competitions for the 2024-25 season, while Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey will receive the Lala Amarnath Award for the Best All-Rounder in the Ranji Trophy for the 2024–25 season.
The Mumbai Cricket Association will once again receive the award for Best Performance in BCCI Domestic Tournaments, having won four trophies and finished runner-up in two during the season.
A defining highlight of the Naman Awards 2026 will be the felicitation of all five ICC trophy winning Indian teams. This will be a historic first for Indian cricket. The BCCI will honour the senior men’s team that won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the senior women’s team that won the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, the men’s Under 19 team that won the ICC Under 19 World Cup 2026, and the women’s Under 19 team that won the ICC Under 19 World Cup 2025. This special recognition celebrates an extraordinary period of success for Indian cricket on the global stage.
(With BCCI Inputs)
