The Women’s Cricket Asia Cup Player of the Season award is a prestigious recognition given to the most outstanding performer in each edition of the Women’s Asia Cup cricket tournament. Since the inception of the Women’s Asia Cup in 2004, this award honors the player who has made the most significant impact on her team’s performance throughout the competition. The award serves as a testament to the growing prominence of women’s cricket in Asia and highlights the individual brilliance displayed during the tournament.
Anjum Chopra, India (2004)
The first edition of the Asia Cup was held in 2004 and hosted by Sri Lanka. Only two teams from Asia, India, and Sri Lanka, participated in a 5-ODI bilateral series format. India thrashed Sri Lanka, whitewashing them 5-0. Anjum Chopra was the game-changer for India, receiving the Player of the Tournament award for scoring 88 runs and taking 2 wickets. This brilliant performance showed Anjum’s all-round abilities to perform in this big tournament under high pressure and contribute to the team’s winning cause. As a result, India won the inaugural Women’s Asia Cup.
Dedunu Silva, Sri Lanka and Thirush Kamini, India (2006)
The third edition of the tournament was hosted by India, with three teams participating. This season of the Asia Cup was played in a round-robin format followed by the final. The top two teams, Sri Lanka and India played the final where India registered an easy win by 7 wickets and conquered the Asia Cup once again. Two players were awarded player of the tournament: Dedunu Silva from Sri Lanka, who scored 163 runs, and Thirush Kamini from India, who showed an all-round performance with 135 runs and 8 wickets.
Rumeli Dhar, India (2008)
The 2008 Women’s Asia Cup was hosted by Sri Lanka. Four teams participated, with Bangladesh joining the trio of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The final was played between India and Sri Lanka, where India once again dominated and won the title for the third consecutive time. India’s Rumeli Dhar became the player of the tournament with 238 runs and 8 wickets, outperforming every other player with her batting and bowling skills and helping India lift the Asia Cup trophy.
Bismah Maroof, Pakistan (2012)
The 2012 Women’s Asia Cup was hosted by China, with eight teams participating. This was the first time eight teams competed in the Women’s Asia Cup. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh were joined by four new associate nations: Thailand, Hong Kong, China, and Nepal. The tournament was played in the T20 format for the first time, yet India successfully retained their title by defeating Pakistan by 18 runs. Bismah Maroof from Pakistan was named as the Player of the Tournament for her outstanding performance of 113 runs and 5 wickets, helping Pakistan reach the final.
Mithali Raj, India (2016)
The sixth edition of the Women’s Asia Cup was held in Thailand. Six teams participated: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Thailand. India won their fifth title by defeating Pakistan by 18 runs. India’s legendary batter Mithali Raj was named player of the tournament for her exceptional performance of 220 runs throughout the tournament. In the final match, Mithali’s unbeaten 73 runs off 65 balls helped India to their fifth Asia Cup title.
Harmanpreet Kaur, India (2018)
The 2018 Women’s Asia Cup was held in Malaysia, with Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as the six participants. The final match was played between India and Bangladesh, where Bangladesh pulled off a historic win, defeating India by 3 wickets. The Player of the Tournament award went to India’s prolific batter Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 215 runs and took 5 wickets, helping the Indian team reach the finals.
Deepti Sharma, India (2022)
The 2022 Women’s Asia Cup was held in Bangladesh, with the hosts among India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as the six participants. The final match was played between India and Sri Lanka, where Indian showed their resilience and defeated Sri Lanka by 8 wickets, regaining the Women’s Asia Cup title for the sixth time. India’s talented all-rounder Deepti Sharma won the Player of the Tournament award for her exceptional performance, taking 13 wickets and scoring 94 runs.