Rahul Dravid Receives Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award as Shubman Gill Sweeps Polly Umrigar Trophy

Former India captain Rahul Dravid and current board president Roger Binny will be honoured with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual ceremony of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Delhi on March 15. 

The board confirmed that the award recognises their “outstanding service to Indian cricket”. In the women’s category, former India captain Mithali Raj will receive the same honour for “her extraordinary contribution to the growth and global stature of women's cricket in India”.

The ceremony will also recognise leading performers from the 2024-25 international season. India opener Shubman Gill has been named the recipient of the Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer (men) for the second time. Among the women, Smriti Mandhana will collect the Best International Cricketer award for the fifth time in her career.

Domestic Performers Recognised

The BCCI awards will also highlight strong performances across domestic competitions. Mumbai’s Ira Jadhav has been selected for the Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy as the Best Woman Cricketer in junior domestic cricket. Haryana opener Shafali Verma will receive the same honour in the senior category.

Mumbai allrounder Ayush Mhatre has been named the Best Allrounder in domestic limited-overs tournaments and will receive the Lala Amarnath Award. Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey has been chosen for the same award for his performances in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season.

The Mumbai Cricket Association will again be recognised for its overall performance in domestic tournaments. The association secured four titles during the season and finished runners-up twice, earning the award for Best Performance in BCCI Domestic Tournaments.

ICC-Winning Teams to be Felicitated

In addition to individual honours, the BCCI will recognise several Indian teams for their recent international achievements. For the first time, all five Indian sides that won global ICC trophies will be felicitated at the ceremony.

These include the men’s teams that lifted the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The senior women’s side that won the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 will also be honoured. India’s Under-19 men’s team, champions of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026, and the women’s Under-19 team that secured the ICC Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup 2025 will also be recognised.

Other Award Winners

Among individual recognitions, Deepti Sharma finished as the highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs, while Mandhana topped the run charts in the format. N Shree Charani and Harshit Rana have been named the Best International Debutants in women’s and men’s cricket respectively.

Age-group tournaments will also see several young players honoured for their performances. Awards will be presented to leading run-scorers and wicket-takers in the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy and Under-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy competitions.

In senior domestic cricket, Harsh Dubey finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy elite group, while teammate Yash Rathod topped the run charts. Goa’s Snehal Kauthankar led the scoring in the plate group, while Nagaland’s J Suchith finished as its leading wicket-taker. 

Vidarbha umpire Ulhas Gandhe will also be recognised as the Best Umpire in domestic cricket for the 2023-24 season.