Shubman Gill Wins Fifth ICC Player of the Month; Shafali Verma Takes Women's Award

India captain Shubman Gill and opener Shafali Verma have been named the ICC Men's and Women's Players of the Month for September 2026. The ICC announced the awards on Tuesday, October 13.

Gill wins the men's award for a record-equalling fifth time, matching West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, who has also won the monthly award five times. His earlier wins came in January 2023, September 2023, February 2025 and July 2025. The India Test and ODI captain earned this one after a dominant home ODI series against the West Indies, built on two commanding innings. Gill said it felt fantastic to win a fifth award and thanked the voting panel.

Shafali picked up the women's award for the second time. Her first came in November 2025, when she starred in India's Women's World Cup final win over South Africa in Navi Mumbai. This time the 22-year-old was rewarded for her part in India's triumphs at the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games. She scored 360 runs in seven T20Is in September, at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 184.61. She finished as India's leading run-scorer in the Asia Cup. Shafali said it was an incredible honour to win again, and that it was immensely satisfying to play her part in both victories.

It is only the third time India have won both awards in the same month. The previous doubles came in June 2024, when Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana won, and in September 2025, when Abhishek Sharma and Mandhana were the winners.

Gill's fifth award puts him level with Matthews at the top of the all-time list for the Player of the Month award. For India, both winners have had a big month. Abhishek Sharma, who won the men's award last September, has also been in the headlines this week after equalling the calendar-year T20I sixes record.