Shafali Verma, Sree Charani Nominated for ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award

New Delhi, October 6, 2026: India’s Shafali Verma and Sree Charani, along with Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, have been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for September 2026, following impressive performances in the Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games.

Shafali enjoyed a prolific month as India won the Women’s Asia Cup before successfully defending their Asian Games women’s cricket title. The opening batter scored 360 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 72.00 and a strike rate of 184.61. She also contributed with the ball, taking six wickets.

During the Women’s Asia Cup, Shafali was the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 236 runs in five innings. She scored 64 in the semi-final against Bangladesh and followed it with 68 in the final against Sri Lanka as India secured their eighth Asia Cup title.

She continued her form at the Asian Games, scoring 188 runs in three innings. Her campaign included a maiden T20I century, with Shafali smashing 100 off 49 balls against Bangladesh in the semi-final. She then scored 48 in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka as India secured a 147-run victory.

Sree Charani’s Record-Breaking Month

Left-arm spinner Sree Charani was also instrumental in India’s success across both tournaments. She claimed 18 wickets in seven T20Is during September at an average of 4.83 and an economy rate of 3.30.

Charani took 12 wickets during India’s successful Asia Cup campaign, including 4/20 in the final against Sri Lanka. At the Asian Games, she continued her strong run with figures of 4/10 against Japan, 2/7 against Bangladesh and 2/13 against Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match.

Her performances also saw her reach 817 rating points in the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings at the end of September, making her the highest-rated women’s T20I bowler in the history of the rankings. She surpassed Australia’s Megan Schutt, whose previous record stood at 806 points.

Athapaththu’s All-Round Impact

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu completed the three-player shortlist after an impressive all-round September.

Across seven T20Is, Athapaththu scored 226 runs at an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 140.37, while also taking 14 wickets at an average of 10.21.

Her standout bowling performance came against Indonesia in the Women’s Asia Cup, where she recorded remarkable figures of 7/5 and took a hat-trick.

Athapaththu also scored 175 runs in three innings at the Asian Games, including an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls against Pakistan in the semi-final. Sri Lanka eventually won the silver medal after reaching the final.

The three nominees were recognised for their contributions across two major women’s T20 competitions held in September, with the winner of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award set to be determined from the shortlist.