Each month, the ICC releases a shortlist of three players each in the “Men’s Player of the Month” and “Women’s Player of the Month” categories. These nominees are selected based on their performances across all international formats during that month.
On 5 December 2025, the ICC revealed the nominees for November 2025. In the men’s category, the shortlist consisted of players from South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan — no Indian was nominated. Meanwhile, in the women’s category, a single Indian made it — Shafali Verma.
Shafali’s nomination is far from symbolic — it is the result of a scintillating all-round performance in the final of the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, where she top-scored with an 87-run knock off 78 balls. Her blazing innings, struck at a rate of 111.53, helped set up a formidable total for her team. But batting was only one dimension of her contribution. In an equally important display, she claimed two crucial wickets — dismissing key opposition batters — and bowled seven overs for 36 runs, breaking vital partnerships at turning points of the match.
Her performance not only delivered her the Player-of-the-Match accolade in the final, but also earned her a place among the three nominees for ICC Women’s Player of the Month. The other two contenders are from outside India — Esha Oza of UAE and Thipatcha Putthawong of Thailand — underscoring Shafali’s unique standing.
That such a high-stakes honour goes to only one Indian this month speaks volumes. It’s not just a recognition of her match-winning knock or her dual skill set; it is a reflection of the broader arc of transformation happening in Indian women’s cricket. With the World Cup triumph, the team has reinvented expectations — and Shafali’s nomination adds a personal stamp to that achievement.
Her journey from being a late call-up — drafted in as an injury replacement ahead of the knockout rounds — to becoming a World Cup final hero and ICC nominee is the stuff of sporting dreams.
