In a historic shift for Indian sports representation on the global stage, India women’s cricket team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was named in TIME magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026, released on Tuesday. TIME’s star-studded lineup celebrates the athletes, coaches, investors, and advocates actively shaping the modern sports landscape.
The 29-year-old Mandhana finds herself in elite company in the list this year alongside global sporting icons such as basketball legend LeBron James, football greats Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, tennis ace Carlos Alcaraz, golfer Rory McIlroy, and South Africa cricket captain Temba Bavuma and others
Notably, stalwarts of Indian men’s cricket such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma did not make the cut, underscoring Mandhana’s exceptional individual impact and the rising global profile of women’s cricket.
Why TIME Chose Mandhana: ‘Records Keep Tumbling’
Smriti Mandhana, the vice-captain of the Indian women’s team, is placed in the ‘Titans’ category. In its official profile, TIME lauded the Mumbai-born left-hander’s extraordinary knack for rewriting cricket history, writing that “records keep tumbling in” for the opener.
The magazine highlighted a staggering list of her recent achievements:
- First Indian woman to score a double century in domestic ODI cricket.
- First to score centuries in all three international formats.
- Joint holder of the most international women’s cricket centuries (17).
- First woman to score over 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year.
- Record for most international runs by a woman across formats (surpassing her own mark).
- Captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles in 2024 and 2026.
- Key contributor in India’s title at the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.
- Over 10,000 international runs and more
Her influence extends beyond numbers. Mandhana has been instrumental in popularizing women’s cricket in India, inspiring a new generation of players and fans while driving the sport’s commercial growth through the WPL.
Why This Recognition Matters
TIME’s list highlights individuals who are not just excelling but transforming their sports. For Mandhana, this includes elevating women’s cricket’s visibility in a cricket-mad nation and proving that consistent excellence on the biggest stages commands global respect.
As India’s vice-captain, she continues to deliver in ongoing tournaments, including a notable recent performance against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.
Fellow cricketer Temba Bavuma is the only other player from the sport on the list, making Mandhana and Bavuma the sole representatives of cricket in this prestigious global compilation.
A Cultural Shift In Indian Sports
For decades, global lists of influential Indian athletes were almost exclusively dominated by men’s cricket icons. Smriti Mandhana’s presence as the lone Indian on this global index signals a massive cultural evolution.
Smriti has slowly but surely transcended the moniker of “the face of women’s cricket” to simply become one of the most powerful, influential icons in world sport today – inspiring millions of young girls across the subcontinent to pick up a bat and dream big.
