Friday evening in New Delhi became a celebration of Indian women’s cricket, as two central architects of its rise — Harmanpreet Kaur and Jay Shah — were recognised on one of the country’s biggest stages at the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year Awards 2025.
Harmanpreet, who steered India to their first-ever Women’s World Cup triumph, walked up to receive the Champion of the World Award, a tribute to her leadership and the historic campaign she masterminded. Standing alongside her achievements was Jay Shah, the former BCCI secretary whose tenure has reshaped the women’s game in structure, investment, and ambition. He was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award, acknowledging the systemic progress driven under his watch.
As only the third Indian captain to win the ODI World Cup, Harmanpreet spoke with emotion about what the achievement meant to her. She framed the moment not just as a personal milestone, but as the fulfilment of a childhood aspiration.
Before delivering her main reflection, she shared why receiving the trophy from Jay Shah held personal meaning. She opened her remarks by revisiting something he had often told them in earlier conversations. “Taking the trophy from you (Jay Shah) was a dream because whenever we used to sit for selection meetings, he would always say, ‘I want to give this team a trophy, this team deserves it’…”
🇮🇳 Captain Harmanpreet Kaur honoured for a landmark year!
She captained India to their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup triumph and series wins in England! 🏆#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/y30OyF8DTU
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 29, 2025
After letting the moment settle, she added the concluding sentiment with quiet satisfaction: “…and I am glad that that day finally came and we could receive the trophy.”
She then turned her attention to the senior figures who shaped her generation of cricketers, expressing gratitude as both Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj stood beside her, “Also a special thank you to Jhulan di and Mithali di. They also played a big role in our life. Without them it was impossible,” the World Cup-winning skipper said.
Earlier in the ceremony, Jay Shah—now the International Cricket Council chairman—accepted his award with a gesture that immediately drew attention.
While speaking to the gathering, he turned towards the celebrated trio of Harmanpreet, Jhulan, and Mithali, offering the honour to them with heartfelt gratitude. “Harman, Jhulan di and Mithali are here, I would like to dedicate this award to all of you,” said the ICC Chairman.
He briefly revisited his years in administration, highlighting the decisions that shaped the current structure of women’s cricket. Among all initiatives he oversaw, two stood out in his mind, “My two favourite decisions remain the implementation of pay parity and the launch of the WPL. You have recently seen the results of these efforts,” Shah said.
The ceremony ultimately highlighted something larger than individual awards. Harmanpreet’s on-field leadership and Jay Shah’s administrative reforms have together steered women’s cricket in India into a new era. One led a team to history. The other helped build the foundation that made that history possible.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.