The ICC has named Shubman Gill and Shafali Verma as its Men's and Women's Players of the Month for September 2026. Gill earned the recognition through a dominant ODI series against the West Indies, while Shafali's award followed an exceptional month in which she starred at both the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games.
Gill's fifth monthly award equals the all-time record for the most wins by any player, a mark previously held by West Indies captain Hayley Matthews. His four earlier wins came in January 2023, September 2023, February 2025 and July 2025. For Shafali, September's recognition is her second such award. She first claimed it in November 2025 following a decisive performance in the Women's World Cup final against South Africa.
India have now produced a double sweep of the monthly awards on multiple occasions. Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana shared the honours in June 2024, and Abhishek Sharma and Mandhana repeated the feat in September 2025.
How did Gill earn his record-equalling fifth monthly award?
Gill's September was built on two commanding innings against the West Indies. He struck 110 in the opening ODI at Thiruvananthapuram, then followed it with 223 off 133 balls in the second match, the fastest double-century in ODI history. That innings powered India to a successful chase of 406, completed with eight wickets in hand and 39 balls remaining. After receiving the award, Gill reflected on both the honour and the evolving nature of the format.
"It feels fantastic to win my fifth ICC Player of the Month award, and I am grateful to the panel for this honour. The pace of ODI cricket has gone up significantly, and you must think on your feet, assess the conditions quickly and adapt to the demands of the pitch and the target," Gill said to the ICC.
What did Shafali Verma achieve across the Asia Cup and Asian Games?
Shafali accumulated 360 runs across seven T20Is in September at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 184.61. She also contributed with the ball, taking six wickets at an average of 13 and an economy rate of 4.33.
At the Women's Asia Cup in the UAE, she topped the run-scoring charts with 236 runs from five innings. Her 64 in the semi-final against Bangladesh and 68 in the final against Sri Lanka helped India secure a record-extending eighth title. She carried that momentum into the Asian Games in Nagoya, where she scored 188 runs in three innings. A maiden T20I century, an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls against Bangladesh in the semi-final, was the highlight. She then made 48 in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka, a contest India won by 147 runs, and claimed four wickets across the tournament, two of them in the final. Shafali spoke about the significance of the month after collecting the award.
"It is an incredible honour to win the ICC Player of the Month award again. It was immensely satisfying to play my part in our victories at the Asia Cup and the Asian Games, and winning this award makes those triumphs even more special," Shafali said to the ICC.
