NEW DELHI: India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has earned another prestigious honour after being named in TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026, emerging as the only Indian to feature among a star-studded global lineup.The annual list recognises athletes, coaches, investors and advocates who are “shaping sports today”. Basketball legend LeBron James headlines this year’s edition, which also includes football icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz, golfer Rory McIlroy, skier Eileen Gu, NBA star Victor Wembanyama and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.South Africa captain Temba Bavuma and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson are also among the notable names on the list.
Mandhana’s remarkable rise earns global recognition
TIME highlighted Mandhana’s remarkable achievements, describing how “records keep tumbling in” for the Mumbai-born opener.The 29-year-old became the first Indian woman to score a double century in a domestic one-day game and the first batter from the country to register centuries in all three international formats. She is also the joint holder of the record for the most centuries in women’s international cricket, with 17.Mandhana was also the first woman to score more than 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year.However, TIME noted that the left-handed batter takes the greatest pride in the team successes she has helped achieve.Mandhana captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026, while also serving as vice-captain during India’s victorious ICC Women’s ODI World Cup campaign last year, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer.Her extraordinary consistency saw her set a record for the most international runs by a woman across formats in 2024 before surpassing her own mark in 2025, a feat that contributed to her being named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year.The latest honour places Mandhana in elite company and further underlines her growing stature as one of the most influential figures in world sport and the leading face of Indian women’s cricket.
