Dubai, October 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s Shafali Verma and Sree Charani, along with Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, have been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for September 2026 following impressive performances in the Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games.
The three players played key roles in a packed month of T20I cricket, with India winning both tournaments and Sri Lanka finishing runners-up in both competitions.
Shafali was among the standout performers with the bat, scoring 360 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 184.61. She also took six wickets at an average of 13 and an economy rate of 4.33.
The 22-year-old was the leading run-scorer in the Women’s Asia Cup, scoring 236 runs in five innings. She made 64 in the semifinal against Bangladesh and followed it with 68 in the final against Sri Lanka as India secured a record-extending eighth title.
At the Asian Games, Shafali scored 188 runs in three innings, including her maiden T20I century — a 49-ball 100 against Bangladesh in the semifinal. She then made 48 in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka as India won by 147 runs. She also took four wickets at the Asian Games.
Left-arm spinner Charani was equally influential, finishing September with 18 wickets in seven T20Is at an extraordinary average of 4.83 and an economy rate of 3.30.
She claimed 12 wickets during the Asia Cup, including 4/20 in the final, before taking eight more at the Asian Games. Her performances included 4/10 against Japan, 2/7 against Bangladesh and 2/13 against Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match.
Charani also ended the month with 817 rating points in the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, becoming the highest-rated women’s T20I bowler in history and surpassing Australia’s Megan Schutt’s previous mark of 806 points.
Athapaththu delivered a strong all-round campaign for Sri Lanka, scoring 226 runs and taking 14 wickets in seven T20Is. She averaged 37.66 with the bat at a strike rate of 140.37 and averaged 10.21 with the ball.
Her most remarkable performance came against Indonesia in the Women’s Asia Cup, when she claimed 7/5, including a hat-trick. The spell was among the best bowling performances in women’s T20I cricket.
At the Asian Games, Athapaththu scored 175 runs in three innings, including an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls against Pakistan in the semifinal. She finished as Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer in the tournament and also took three wickets as the team won the silver medal.
The September shortlist recognises three players whose individual performances were closely linked to significant team success, with Shafali and Charani helping India complete a memorable double and Athapaththu guiding Sri Lanka to silver medals in both competitions.
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