Smriti Mandhana only Indian in TIME's 100 most influential sports people list

Smriti Mandhana makes TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026 as the sole Indian on the list, underscoring her pioneering run in women’s cricket. TIME highlights the 29-year-old vice-captain of India as the first Indian woman with a domestic double century in ODI cricket, the first to score centuries in all three international formats, and a co-holder of the most international women’s centuries with 17. She also became the first woman to exceed 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. Mandhana captained Royal Challengers Bangalore to both the 2024 and 2026 Women’s Premier League titles and was vice captain for India’s World Cup victory last year. TIME notes her consistency across formats and her record-breaking 2024–25 run totals, contributing to her BBC Indian Sportswoman of 2025 recognition. Her leadership and prolific scoring are highlighted as reshaping Indian cricket’s global profile.