Shubman Gill Set to Receive BCCI Cricketer of the Year Award Before IPL 2026

March 12, 2026: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is preparing for its annual Naman Awards, which will be held on March 15 in New Delhi. This year’s event will celebrate a special “Golden Year” for Indian cricket. During this period, Indian teams won five ICC trophies across different categories.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the main individual awards will go to Shubman Gill and Rahul Dravid.

Gill is set to receive the Polly Umrigar Award for Cricketer of the Year. He has performed very well in recent years and has taken over the Test and ODI captaincy from Rohit Sharma. Gill has also scored many important runs in longer formats.

Dravid will receive the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian cricket. He guided the team to the title in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 and helped build the team that defended the trophy in 2026.

The BCCI is also planning to give a lifetime achievement award to former women’s team captain Mithali Raj for her outstanding career.

In domestic cricket, Ayush Mhatre from Mumbai is expected to receive the Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-rounder in domestic limited-overs cricket. The Mumbai Cricket Association may also be named the Best Association after strong performances in domestic tournaments.

BCCI NAMAN AWARDS 2026 🚨 (Express Sports)

Rahul Dravid - BCCI lifetime achievement award
Shubman Gill - Cricketer of the year
Ayush Mhatre - Lala Amarnath Award
Mithali Raj - BCCI lifetime achievement award pic.twitter.com/hxd88a4n6n

— MARCUS (@MARCUS907935) March 12, 2026

India’s T20 World Cup 2026 Triumph

Earlier, the BCCI announced a ₹131 crore cash reward for the Indian team after their victory in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

India became the first team in the tournament’s history to defend the T20 World Cup title. The team also became the first to win the tournament three times and the first to win it at home.

Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India defeated the New Zealand national cricket team by 96 runs in the final. India scored a record 253 for 5, the highest total in a T20 World Cup final.

Sanju Samson played an important role with a quick 89 runs. India’s bowlers then finished the match strongly. Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets for 14 runs, his best figures in the format.

Samson finished the tournament as Player of the Series with 321 runs in five innings, while Bumrah was named Player of the Match in the final.