The eighth edition of the Tech Word News Sports Awards will be held on March 21, 2026 in Lucknow and will celebrate the achievements of India’s best sportspersons in various disciplines. The awards recognize performances from 1 January to 31 December 2025 and recognize outstanding displays at world championships and major international events. With more than 45 categories, TOISA highlights both established stars and emerging talents who have brought pride to the nation through exceptional performances in the past year.The winners will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges comprising some of India’s most famous sports icons. Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, hockey great PR Sreejesh, former Indian captain Mithali Raj, Paralympic legend Devendra Jhajharia, table tennis stalwart Sharath Kamal and tennis icon Leander Paes will judge the nominees across categories, ensuring a credible and expert assessment of excellence in Indian sport.The Sportsperson of the Year nominations reflect the diversity and achievements of Indian sport in 2025. Teenage sensation Suruchi Inder Singh enjoyed a breakout season with five gold medals at the ISSF World Cups and a silver at the World Championships. Chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh made history by winning the Women’s World Chess Cup and becoming a Grandmaster. In cricket, Smriti Mandhana played a key role in India’s maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup triumph, while Shubman Gill enjoyed a prolific year that included titles in the ICC Champions Trophy and Asia Cup. Young shooter Samrat Rana also shined on the global stage as she became world champion in the 10m air pistol, capping off a memorable year for Indian sport.Here are the nominations for Sportsman of the Year at TO ISA 2025:Suruchi Inder SinghDate of birth: April 28, 2006Place of Birth: Jhajjar, HaryanaSport: Shooting (10m air pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (Team)ISSF World Championship Final: Gold (Individuals)ISSF Buenos Aires World Championships: Gold (Individuals), Bronze (Mixed Teams)ISSF Lima World Championships: Gold (Individuals), Gold (Mixed Teams)ISSF World Championships Munich: Gold (Individuals)Asian Championships: Bronze (Team), Bronze (Mixed Team)The year 2025 was a breakthrough year for teenage shooter Suruchi Singh. The 19-year-old rose to prominence after winning five gold medals at the ISSF World Cup stages. She started with an individual gold at the ISSF World Championships in Argentina, where she also won a mixed team bronze. She followed it up with a double gold at the ISSF World Cup in Peru, winning the individual title and mixed team gold with Saurabh Chaudhary. Suruchi then secured another individual gold at the ISSF World Championships in Germany before securing her fifth gold at the ISSF World Cup Finals in Doha. She also added a team silver at the ISSF World Championships and two bronze medals at the Asian Championships to round off a remarkable season. Divya DeshmukhDate of birth: December 9, 2005Place of Birth: Nagpur, MaharashtraSports: ChessMajor achievements in 2025:Women’s World Chess Cup: WinnerGrandmaster (GM) titleShe qualified for the 2026 Candidates tournamentBorn on December 9, 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Divya Deshmukh quickly established herself as one of India’s brightest chess talents. Known for her shrewd calculation, strategic depth and composure under pressure, Divya has consistently impressed on the international stage, combining tactical brilliance with a strong competitive mindset.The year 2025 proved to be historic for her career. She won the Women’s Chess World Cup, beating top contenders and establishing herself as a major force in global women’s chess. This landmark victory also earned her the prestigious title of Grandmaster (GM), making her India’s 88th Grandmaster and the fourth Indian woman to do so. In addition, her performances secured qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, bringing her one step closer to contending for the Women’s World Cup.With her talent, dedication and early success, Divya Deshmukh is widely regarded as a future star of Indian and international chess, inspiring a new generation of players.Smriti MandhanaDate of birth: July 18, 1996Place of Birth: Mumbai, MaharashtraSports: CricketMajor achievements in 2025:ICC ODI World Cup 2025: Winner as Vice-Captain of Team IndiaODI Stats in 2025: 1362 runs in 23 matches | Average 61.9 | SR 109.92 | 5 hundredT20I Stats in 2025: 341 runs in 9 matches | Average 37.88 | SR 135.85 | 1 hundredIn 2025, Smriti Mandhana played a pivotal role in the history of Indian women’s cricket as the vice-captain of the side that lifted the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title – India’s first ever triumph in the tournament. India beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium on November 2, capping off a memorable campaign. Mandhana was instrumental in the victory, scoring 434 runs in the tournament and finishing as the second highest run-getter. During the event, she smashed a breathtaking 50-ball hundred against England – the second fastest century in women’s international cricket. During the calendar year, she became the first woman to score more than 1,000 ODI runs in a single year and broke her own record for most ODI centuries in a year, reaching five in 2025 – joint most with Tazmin Brits.Mandhana has also achieved significant career milestones across formats. In December, during the home series against Sri Lanka, she became only the second woman after Suzie Bates to surpass 4000 runs in T20 Internationals. In the same series, she surpassed 10,000 runs in women’s international cricket, becoming only the second Indian after Mithali Raj and the fourth batsman overall to reach the milestone – further cementing her legacy as one of the game’s modern greats.Samrat RanaDate of birth: January 8, 2005Place of Birth: Karnal, HaryanaSport: Shooting (10m air pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Gold (Individuals), Gold (Teams) and Silver (Mixed Teams)ISSF World Championship Final: Bronze (Individuals)Youngster Samrat Rana made history last year by becoming the first world champion from India in his discipline, the 10m air pistol, marking a defining breakthrough in his career. The former world junior champion produced a sensational performance at the 2025 ISSF WC where he became one of the biggest stars of the tournament with three medals. Rana won a gold medal in the individual event and followed it up with another gold in the team event. He also secured a silver medal in the mixed team event alongside Esha Singh.This outstanding performance made Rana only the third Indian shooting world champion, joining an elite list that includes Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra and world champion Rudrankksh Patil. The 21-year-old continued to shine later in the season as he added a bronze medal at the Doha World Cup Final, ensuring the year would be one of the most memorable and significant phases of his fast-paced shooting journey.Shubman GillDate of birth: September 8, 1999Place of Birth: Fazilka, PunjabSports: CricketMajor achievements in 2025:ICC Champions Trophy 2025: WinnersACC Asia Cup: WinnersTest Stats in 2025: 983 runs in 9 matches | Average 70.21 | HS 269 | 5 hundredODI Stats in 2025: 490 runs in 11 matches | 49.00 | SR 88.76 | 2 hundredsT20I Stats in 2025: 291 runs in 15 matches | 24.25 | SR 137.26 | HS 47 Shubman Gill enjoyed a phenomenal 2025 and cemented his status as one of the premier batsmen in world cricket. He won two ICC Player of the Month honors during the year, becoming the first cricketer to win the award a total of four times. Entering the ICC Champions Trophy as the highest-ranked ODI batsman, Gill made an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in the group stage, setting the tone for India’s title campaign. He also served as surrogate for Suryakumar Yadav in the 2025 Asia Cup (T20), where India lifted the trophy after defeating Pakistan in the final.In Tests, Gill ushered in a new era as captain following the departure of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He scored a century on his captaincy debut at Headingley, joining an elite list of Indian captains who scored a hundred in the first Test they captained. He followed that up with back-to-back centuries at Edgbaston, including a monumental 269 – the highest Test score by an Indian captain – and 161 in the same match, amassing 430 runs, the second highest in a Test after Graham Gooch. Gill also became only the third Indian captain to score five Test centuries in a calendar year, emulating Kohli’s rare feat.
