Shafali, Shree Charani, Athapaththu up for ICC Women's Player of the Month; Abhishek, Gill shortlisted
India's Shafali Verma and Shree Charani and Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu are nominated for September's ICC women's award, with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill on the men's list.
The nominations for the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for September 2026 have been announced. India's Shafali Verma and Shree Charani are on the list along with Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu. All three have been nominated for their performances in the Women's Asia Cup 2026 and the Asian Games 2026.
In the men's category, Indian batters Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill have been shortlisted for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award along with Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza. Abhishek and Gill were chosen for their outstanding white-ball cricket.
September was a superb month for Shafali at the top of India's batting order. She scored 360 runs in seven T20 matches at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 184.61. The 22-year-old also contributed with the ball, taking six wickets at an average of 13. She was the leading run-scorer in the Women's Asia Cup, with 236 runs in five innings.
Shree Charani is emerging as India's most dependable bowler. The left-arm spinner took 18 wickets in seven T20 matches in September. She took 12 wickets during India's successful Asia Cup campaign, and dismissed eight batters from opposing teams at the Asian Games 2026.
Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu showed all-round form. Under her leadership, the team reached the semi-finals of the Women's Asia Cup and then the final of the Asian Games. The left-handed batter scored 226 runs in seven T20 matches at an average of 37.66. She also took 14 wickets at an economy rate of 6.08.
Among the men, Abhishek scored 229 runs at an average of 76.33 in the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan. In the first match, played in Delhi, he made a strong comeback with 82 off 32 balls. He reached his fifty in just 22 balls. India chased down a target of 157 with 38 balls to spare, and Abhishek was named Player of the Match.
In the second T20, Abhishek scored 39 off 19 balls. He then played a memorable innings in the three-match series, scoring 108 off 45 balls and reaching his century in 30 balls. He was also named Player of the Series for his performances.
September was also a superb month for India captain Shubman Gill. He played record-breaking innings in the ODI format. Gill scored 110 against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram and an unbeaten 223 in Guwahati. India won both matches and took the series 2-1.
Sikandar Raza's nomination comes from his impactful performances against Australia. Ranked second among all-rounders in the world rankings, Raza played a key role in the first match. He scored 57 and shared a 98-run partnership with Craig Ervine.
In the second ODI, Raza scored 45 off 45 balls and also contributed in the last match. With Zimbabwe's wickets falling at the other end, he stayed at the crease for 29 overs. He scored an unbeaten 81 off 72 balls, taking his team's score to 271/8.
