ICC Women’s Player of the Month nominees for September 2026 announced
Three outstanding performers from India and Sri Lanka have been shortlisted for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for September 2026.
Shafali Verma (India)
Shafali Verma enjoyed a prolific September as India lifted the Women’s Asia Cup before going on to claim gold at the Asian Games.
The explosive opener scored 360 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 72.00 and a strike rate of 184.61, while also contributing six wickets at an average of 13.00 and an economy rate of 4.33.
Verma finished the Women’s Asia Cup as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, accumulating 236 runs in five innings, including 64 in the semi-final against Bangladesh and 68 in the final against Sri Lanka as India secured a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title.
Her form continued at the Asian Games in Japan, where she scored 188 runs in three innings. That included an unbeaten 40 against Japan before she produced a maiden T20I century against Bangladesh, smashing 100 off 49 balls in the semi-final. She added 48 in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka as India completed a 147-run victory.
Verma also made an impact with the ball during the month, with two wickets in the Asia Cup and four more in the Asian Games, with a brace of wickets in the all-important gold-medal clash against Sri Lanka.
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu made a significant impact with both bat and ball during a September that saw her side reach the Women’s Asia Cup semi-finals and the Asian Games final.
Across seven T20Is, Athapaththu scored 226 runs at an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 140.37, while taking 14 wickets at an average of 10.21 and an economy rate of 6.08.
Her standout moment came early in the Women’s Asia Cup, when she produced remarkable figures of 7/5 against Indonesia, including a hat-trick. The spell was the fifth-best bowling performance in Women’s T20Is at the time and only the sixth instance of a bowler taking seven or more wickets in a Women’s T20I.
Athapaththu then starred for Sri Lanka at the Asian Games, scoring 175 runs in three innings. She struck 63 against Malaysia before following it with an unbeaten 83 from 50 balls against Pakistan in the semi-final to help Sri Lanka reach the gold-medal match. She finished the competition as Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer and took three wickets as the island nation bagged silver.
Sree Charani (India)
Sree Charani was a constant threat with the ball as India swept to Women's Asia Cup glory before retaining their Asian Games gold medal in women's cricket.
The left-arm spinner claimed 18 wickets in seven T20Is during September, at an outstanding average of 4.83 and an economy rate of 3.30.
The 22-year-old took 12 wickets during India’s victorious Women’s Asia Cup campaign, including figures of 4/20 in the final against Sri Lanka.
Charani carried that form into the Asian Games, taking 4/10 against Japan, followed by 2/7 against Bangladesh and 2/13 against Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match. Her eight wickets in the competition took her September tally to 18.
Her month was capped by a historic achievement in the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings. At the end of September, Charani reached 817 rating points, becoming the highest-rated women's T20I bowler in history and surpassing Australia’s Megan Schutt, whose previous record stood at 806 points.
With India’s Asia Cup and Asian Games triumphs bookending a remarkable month, Charani’s performances established her as the leading wicket-taking force across the two competitions.