Indian women’s cricket team (Photo by PTI) NEW DELHI: The Indian women’s cricket team has reached another historic milestone as it has been nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year 2026 award after winning its first ever World Cup title.The nomination, confirmed by Laureus Sport, makes them the first women’s cricket team to receive the honour. Their run to the title included a record-breaking moment in the semi-final against Australia, where they completed the highest successful chase in women’s ODI history – 339 runs – before beating South Africa in the final.
Hardik Pandya will arrive at the Wankhede in a sports car for the Team India nets
Laureus Sport said in a press release: “In the Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia, the Indian women’s cricket team scored the most successful run in women’s ODI history (339) – before winning their first title against South Africa and becoming the first women’s cricket team to be nominated for the award.”The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team now finds itself in elite company. They were nominated alongside global heavyweights such as the England women’s football team, the European Ryder Cup team, Paris Saint-Germain and the McLaren Formula 1 team.Their World Cup win sparked celebrations across India, with the BCCI announcing a prize money of Rs 51 crore for the team.The team also joins a small list of Indian athletes previously nominated in major Laureus categories, including Vinesh Phogat, Neeraj Chopra and Rishabh Pant.The winners will be selected by a jury of the Laureus World Sports Academy and announced at a ceremony at the Cibeles Palace in Madrid on April 20, marking the third consecutive year that the Spanish capital will host the event.
