New Delhi, March 16: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) successfully hosted another edition of ‘Naman,’ the annual awards ceremony that recognizes the top performers and pioneers of Indian cricket. Former India cricketer Anil Kumble also penned a note to congratulate his “dear friend” Rahul Dravid on receiving the lifetime achievement award.
The awards ceremony took place on Sunday night in the presence of all BCCI office bearers, as well as the former secretary and current chairman of the International Cricket Council, Jay Shah. Also present at the gala were the winning members of the five recent ICC tournaments: the U19 Men’s World Cup, the U19 Women’s World Cup, the Champions Trophy, the Women’s ODI World Cup, and the Men’s T20 World Cup.
The highlight of the evening were former India cricketer and head coach Rahul Dravid, 1983 World Cup winner and former BCCI president Roger Binny, and former India captain Mithali Raj, who were all honored with the Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
“A special awards night celebrating the journey of Indian cricket. It was wonderful to see the five ICC title-winning teams together at the BCCI Naman Awards. I was delighted for my dear friend Rahul Dravid on receiving the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations also to my first captain Roger Binny, Mithali Raj, Shubman Gill, Smriti Mandhana, and all the awardees,” Kumble wrote on X.
Other notable award winners included India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, who received the Polly Umrigar Award (Best International Cricketer - Men) for the 2024-25 season, and Smriti Mandhana, who won the Best International Cricketer (Women) award for the fifth time, as well as the award for the top run-scorer in ODIs. Her teammate, all-rounder Deepti Sharma, received the award for being the highest wicket-taker (2024-25) in ODIs.
India opener Shafali Verma and the recent U-19 World Cup-winning captain Ayush Mhatre also received awards for their outstanding performances during the 2024-25 domestic season.
N Sree Charani and Harshit Rana received the ‘Best International Debut’ award, while the Mumbai Cricket Association was awarded for ‘Best Performance in BCCI Domestic Tournaments of 2024-25.’
