The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday (February 21) announced the three nominees for the Men’s Player of the Month award for January 2026, and it is a star-studded list.
Suryakumar Yadav, Joe Root, Daryl Mitchell in race for ICC’s top honor
India’s explosive batsman Suryakumar Yadav, England’s reliable run-machine Joe Root and New Zealand’s match-winner Daryl Mitchell have been shortlisted after outstanding performances for their respective teams in the month of January 2026.
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Mitchell’s tour of India in the ODI series was a dream. Mitchell played two consecutive century innings in the second and third ODI matches against India. He scored 352 runs at an incredible average of 176 to help New Zealand win the series 2–1. He was chosen Player of the Series.
His excellent form has taken him to the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings. Then, in the five-match T20I series against India, the Kiwi all-rounder scored 125 runs at a strike rate of over 186, and he is in great form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.
Joe Root’s dominance and Suryakumar Yadav’s remarkable transformation
Joe Root also made a strong start to the year. He played a key role in England’s 2-1 ODI series win against Sri Lanka. Root scored 61, 75 and 111 not out and also took two wickets to collect the Player of the Series award. Root also scored a brilliant 160 runs in the Sydney Test.
On the other hand, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav returned to form at the right time. He scored three half-centuries and scored 242 runs at a strike rate of 197 in five matches against New Zealand. India won the series 4–1 and Suryakumar was named Player of the Series.
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ICC announces Women’s Player of the Month nominees for January 2026
Meanwhile, the ICC also announced the nominees for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for January 2026. Gabby Lewis, Shobhana Mosteri and Tara Norris are in the running for the honor after their stellar performances in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier.
Ireland captain Gabby Lewis played a big role in helping her team qualify for the World Cup in England. He led from the front and scored runs consistently. In six matches in January, he scored 251 runs at a healthy strike rate of around 125. Overall, in the qualifiers, she scored 276 runs and became the leading run-scorer in the tournament. His best score was 73 runs against Bangladesh.
Tara Norris and Tara Norris impress everyone
Bangladesh’s performance in the qualifiers was also excellent. They remained undefeated in the tournament and qualified comfortably. Sobhana Mosteri was the key, scoring 229 runs in her first six matches at a strong average of 45.80 and an aggressive strike rate above 145. He also took one wicket with his off-spin bowling.
USA couldn’t qualify, but Tara Norris impressed everyone. The left arm fast bowler was the highest wicket taker with 15 wickets. He took 11 wickets in January alone, including three against Namibia, Ireland and Thailand. Now, they are in the running for the top prize.
