Historic Moment: Smriti Mandhana becomes only Indian in TIME sports 100 List

Smriti Mandhana has been named in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026, becoming the only Indian athlete on the list and earning global recognition for her impact on women’s cricket

Post Published By: Donika Singh

Updated : 16 June 2026, 6:12 PM IST

Smriti Mandhana (Img Internet)

New Delhi: India women's cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has been named in TIME magazine's inaugural list of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports. She is the only Indian sportsperson to feature in the 2026 edition.

TIME published the list of the Most Influential People in Sports on June 16. Those individuals who have made their mark in sports as athletes, coaches, executives, investors and others have been selected for the ranking.

International recognition

Inclusion in the list of TIME100 Most Influential People is yet another landmark achievement for Mandhana. Over the last ten years, Mandhana has established herself as one of the most recognized faces of women's cricket.

In its introduction, TIME mentions her achievements as well as increasing influence in the field. It speaks of her contribution to popularizing women's cricket across the globe.

She has been an integral part of India's national women's team for all three formats. Mandhana is one of the top run scorers in international women's cricket as well.

Only Indian sportsperson in list

Mandhana is the only Indian included in the first edition of TIME100 Most Influential People in Sports. The ranking features some of the world's biggest stars of football, basketball, track and field athletics, tennis and other sports.

Her achievement

Over the course of her international career, Mandhana received several prestigious awards from the International Cricket Council. Two years ago, she was honored by the ICC as its Women's Cricketer of the Year. She is considered one of the world's best batters irrespective of the format.