Smriti Mandhana is the only Indian in Time’s list of most influential athletes

Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has been named in TIME magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in Sports for 2026, appearing as the only Indian athlete to feature in the annual selection.

TIME described the list as a collection of athletes, coaches, executives, investors and change-makers who are shaping the sports landscape worldwide.

Mandhana joins an elite group of international stars that includes LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Alcaraz, Eileen Gu, Rory McIlroy, Victor Wembanyama and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Explaining her inclusion, TIME highlighted Mandhana’s role in pushing the boundaries of women’s cricket while combining individual milestones with team success.

The publication said Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score a double century in a domestic one-day game and the first Indian woman to register a century in all three international formats. She also highlighted that she is the most capped by centuries in women’s international cricket with 17 and became the first player to score more than 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year.

The 29-year-old has also enjoyed sustained success at franchise and international level.

TIME highlighted her leadership role in leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the 2024 and 2026 Women’s Premier League titles and her contribution to last year’s ICC Women’s World Cup winning campaign, where she finished among the tournament’s top scorers.

“Records keep breaking” for Mandhana, TIME wrote in its profile.

Her consistency was also reflected in historical figures. In 2024, Mandhana set the record for the most international runs scored by a woman across formats in a calendar year, before surpassing her own mark in 2025 – a run that also earned her the BBC Indian Sportswoman award.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

June 16, 2026 12:26 PM IST