New Delhi: India’s Women’s World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and teenage chess star Divya Deshmukh headline the list of nominees for the 2025 BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
The five-member shortlist also features pistol shooter Suruchi Singh and sprinter-hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, recognising standout performances by women athletes across disciplines during the year.
Announcing the nominations, the BBC said the awards aim to celebrate exceptional sporting achievements by Indian women and bring their stories to audiences in India and globally.
Fiona Crack, Interim Global Director of BBC News, said the platform highlights “a year of sporting excellence” and amplifies the achievements of women athletes.
Harmanpreet earned her nomination after leading India to a historic maiden ICC Women’s World Cup title in November 2025.
Captaining the side on home soil, she played a defining knock of 89 off 88 balls in the semi-final chase against Australia.
Her career has also been marked by memorable performances, including the iconic unbeaten 171 against the same opponents in the 2017 World Cup.
Beyond cricket, she has featured in Time magazine’s list of top emerging leaders and the BBC’s 100 Most Inspiring Women.
Mandhana, 29, continues to strengthen her reputation as one of the finest batters in the women’s game.
The left-hander ranks among the leading century-makers in one-day internationals and recently set a national record with the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian woman — a 50-ball century against Australia.
A two-time ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, Mandhana hails from Sangli in Maharashtra and credits her early inspiration to her family’s sporting background.
Chess sensation Divya Deshmukh scripted history in July 2025 by becoming the youngest-ever and first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, a triumph that also secured her the grandmaster title.
The Nagpur-born player defeated Koneru Humpy in the final, marking a symbolic generational shift in Indian women’s chess.
Deshmukh’s rise has been rapid, from winning national titles as a child to playing a key role in India’s medal-winning campaigns at international team events.
In shooting, Suruchi Singh has emerged as a dominant force in the 10m air pistol discipline.
The Haryana shooter enjoyed a breakthrough run in 2025, winning individual gold medals at ISSF World Cup events in Buenos Aires, Lima and Munich.
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She also topped the ISSF world rankings in her category and added medals at the Asian Shooting Championships and national competitions.
Track athlete Jyothi Yarraji has been nominated following a string of record-breaking performances in hurdles.
The 26-year-old became the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympic 100m hurdles at the Paris Games and has repeatedly improved the national record since 2022.
Her medal haul includes podium finishes at the Asian Games, World University Games and multiple Asian championships, capped by gold at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi.
The nominees were selected by an independent jury comprising senior sports editors, writers and experts, based on an assessment of performances over the past year.
