Shubman Gill Creates History with Fifth ICC Award, Shafali Verma Wins Women’s Honour

Indian cricket stars Shubman Gill and Shafali Verma have been named the ICC Men’s and Women’s Players of the Month for September 2026, following outstanding performances in international cricket.

Gill received the men’s award for a record fifth time after his remarkable performances in the ODI series against the West Indies. His previous wins came in January and September 2023, and February and July 2025. With the latest honour, he joins West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, who has also won five monthly awards across the men’s and women’s categories.

Gill scored 110 runs in the opening ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, helping India secure an eight-wicket victory. He followed it with an unbeaten 223 off 133 balls in Guwahati, including 26 fours and eight sixes, as India successfully chased a massive target of 406 runs with eight wickets and 39 balls remaining. His double century was the highest individual score in a successful ODI chase.

Meanwhile, Shafali Verma won her second ICC Player of the Month award, following her maiden recognition in November 2025 after India’s Women’s World Cup triumph.

The opening batter played a crucial role in India’s victories at the Women’s Asia Cup and the Asian Games. She scored 360 runs at a strike rate of 184.61 and also claimed six wickets during the Asia Cup campaign. At the Asian Games, she smashed an unbeaten century against Bangladesh in the semi-final and scored 48 runs in the final against Sri Lanka, helping India secure the gold medal.

Gill expressed gratitude for his fifth award, highlighting the satisfaction of contributing to successful run chases before home supporters. Verma described her recognition as an incredible honour and credited her contributions to India’s tournament victories.

Other nominees included Abhishek Sharma and Sikandar Raza in the men’s category, and Chamari Athapaththu and Sree Charani in the women’s category.

This was the fifth occasion players from the same national board won both monthly awards, with India achieving the double for the third time.