TIME's 100 Most Influential in Sports: Smriti Mandhana Makes the Cut, No Men's Cricket Superstar from India

New York, June 16: Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana has added another remarkable achievement to her illustrious career by securing a spot on TIME magazine's prestigious list of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026.

The elegant left-handed batter - who is currently participating in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 in England as the deputy to Harmanpreet Kaur - is the only Indian athlete to feature in this year's edition, highlighting her growing impact on the global sporting landscape.

TIME's annual list celebrates athletes, coaches, administrators, investors, and changemakers who are redefining the future of sports. Leading the lineup is basketball icon LeBron James, alongside internationally renowned stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Alcaraz, Rory McIlroy, and Victor Wembanyama.

Mandhana's inclusion reflects not only her extraordinary performances with the bat but also her growing influence in advancing women's cricket. The 29-year-old vice-captain of the Indian women's team has consistently broken barriers and rewritten record books throughout her career.

In its profile, TIME highlighted several of Mandhana's historic accomplishments. She became the first Indian woman to score a double century in a domestic one-day match and the first to register centuries in all three international formats. She also shares the record for the highest number of international centuries in women's cricket, with an impressive tally of 17 hundreds.

The magazine praised her relentless consistency, noting that milestones continue to arrive at a remarkable pace. Among her many achievements, Mandhana became the first woman cricketer to score more than 1,000 One-Day International runs in a single calendar year, setting a benchmark that underlines her dominance at the crease.

Despite the personal accolades, Mandhana has repeatedly emphasized the importance of team success. TIME acknowledged this aspect of her leadership journey, noting that she guided the Royal Challengers Bangalore to Women's Premier League titles in both 2024 and 2026. She also played a crucial role as vice-captain during India's victorious ICC Women's World Cup campaign last year, finishing as one of the tournament's leading run-scorers.

Her record-breaking run continued in 2024 when she established a new benchmark for the most international runs scored by a woman cricketer across formats in a calendar year. Remarkably, she surpassed her own record the following season, a feat that contributed significantly to her being named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year in 2025.

Mandhana's recognition by TIME represents more than individual excellence. It reflects the growing prominence of Indian women's cricket on the global stage and serves as a testament to a player whose influence now extends far beyond the boundary ropes. As she continues to inspire a new generation of cricketers, her place among the world's most influential sporting figures appears not only deserved but inevitable.