Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana Named Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2025 – Full Story & Reactions

Bumrah & Mandhana Named Wisden Cricketers of the Year – A Proud Day for Indian Cricket

Two of India’s brightest stars—Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana—have etched their names into cricketing history after being named Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2025. This prestigious honor, awarded by the iconic Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, is one of the highest individual accolades in the game.

What Makes This Special?

Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year is not just about stats—it celebrates impact, consistency, and excellence across formats and conditions. For India to have both a male and female cricketer featured in the same year is a monumental achievement.

 Why Bumrah Was Chosen

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah had a sensational run across formats in the past year. His breathtaking spells in the 2023 ODI World Cup, combined with his comeback heroics in Test cricket, earned him global admiration.

Key Highlights:

• Match-winning performances in England & South Africa

• Career-best ODI World Cup stats

• Mastery over new-ball and death overs

Mandhana’s Consistent Brilliance

Smriti Mandhana, India’s elegant left-hander, dazzled with her consistency in both international cricket and franchise leagues like the WPL (Women’s Premier League). Her leadership and composure under pressure have turned her into one of the faces of women’s cricket globally.

Key Highlights:

• Stellar 2024 WPL season with Royal Challengers Bangalore

• Hundreds in both ODIs and T20Is

• Rising influence as a role model for young cricketers

Reactions Pour In:

BCCI, teammates, and cricket legends have flooded social media with congratulatory messages:

• "Proud moment for Indian cricket! Bumrah & Mandhana truly deserve it!" – Virat Kohli

• "From Yorkers to cover drives, India dominates Wisden!" – Harsha Bhogle

About the Wisden Cricketer of the Year Award:

• First awarded in 1889

• Recognizes five cricketers each year for impact on the English season

• Not repeatable—once you win, you can’t win it again

• Past Indian recipients include Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and Mithali Raj

 Conclusion:

With Jasprit Bumrah and Mandhana shining on the global stage, India continues to produce world-class talent. Their Wisden honour is not just personal—it’s symbolic of a golden era in Indian cricket.

Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been named the best male cricketer of 2025 by the cricket bible Wisden. The official name of the award is Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World. Another Indian star, Smriti Mandhana, has been named the leading female cricketer in the world. This was announced in the latest edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack published on Tuesday.

Last year, Jasprit Bumrah became the first bowler in Test history to take 200 wickets at an average of less than 20. In the eyes of Wisden editor Lawrence Booth, 'easily the star of the year.' Bumrah took 71 wickets in 13 Tests last year. He also played a major role in India winning the T20 World Cup last June. In addition to taking 2 wickets for 18 runs in the final against South Africa, Jasprit Bumrah took 15 wickets in 8 matches in the tournament.

The 31-year-old fast bowler almost single-handedly pulled India's bowling in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the tour of Australia. Jasprit Bumrah took 32 wickets in 5 Tests in the series that began in November last year and ended in January. She is the highest wicket-taker in the series. Booth wrote of her, "She is a formidable, unique challenger, the runs scored against her should be considered double...she has staked her claim to be the greatest of all time."

Mandhana scored 1,659 runs in women's cricket last year, the highest score by a woman cricketer in a calendar year in international cricket. Four centuries among them, another record. Mandhana also played an innings of 149 runs in India's 10-wicket win over South Africa in a Test last June.

West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran has been named the leading T20 cricketer by Wisden Almanack.

Surrey cricketers dominate Wisden's oldest award for the best five cricketers of the year. Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Dan Oral, who won Surrey's third consecutive County Championship, are three of the five best cricketers of the year. The other two are Hampshire's Liam Dawson and England women's left-arm spinner Sophie Eccleston.

Australian-born pacer Oral has qualified for England this season. The 33-year-old was the main character in Surrey's County Championship win this time. He took 52 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 16.15. Atkinson and Smith have performed well in Tests. Atkinson took 12 wickets on his Test debut against the West Indies at Lord's in July last year. In September at Lord's, the pace all-rounder also scored a century in addition to taking 5 wickets against Sri Lanka at Lord's. In December, he took a hat-trick against New Zealand in the Wellington Test. Atkinson took 52 wickets in 11 matches in his first year as a Test cricketer. The right-arm pacer is the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests after Bumrah last year.

Dawson took 54 wickets with left-arm spin in the County Championship and scored 956 runs. Booth said that "there is no more effective all-rounder in county cricket than Dawson." Eccleston was England's leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, taking 26 wickets in all formats.

The Wisden Trophy for the best performance of the year went to New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner. Santner took 13 wickets in New Zealand's 113-run win over India in Pune last October, which gave New Zealand a 2–0 lead in the three-Test series and also whitewashed India. It was India's first series defeat at home since December 2012.

Wisden editor Booth has lashed out at the game's global administrators in his annual article. In his view, 2024 is the year to "drop the claim that cricket is well-run". His article touched on the rise of Jay Shah from BCCI secretary to ICC chief in December last year and the rift between the India and Pakistan Cricket Boards over the venue for the Champions Trophy.

This year's almanac also pays tribute to former England pacer James Anderson. Anderson retired from Test cricket in July after 21 years. Anderson is the highest wicket-taker among pacers in this edition, with 704 wickets in 188 Tests. Two former England cricketers, Derek Underwood and Graham Thorpe, who emigrated to their homeland last year, have also been honoured in this year's almanac.

Only cricket lovers know the name of the yellow little book called Wisden Cricketers' Almanac. It is recognized as the 'Bible of Cricket' due to its independent and impartial editorial policy and setting an unparalleled standard of accuracy in information, statistics and records. This almanac has been published every year for 161 years without interruption. There was no break even in the two world wars.

Due to its glorious tradition, recognition by Wisden is a big achievement for any cricketer. That recognition comes in many ways. The 'Leading Cricketer of the Year' award was introduced in 2003, which recognizes the best cricketer of the year in men's cricket. The 'Leading Cricketer of the Year' award for women was introduced in 2015. The oldest is Wisden's 'Cricketers of the Year' award.

The Wisden editors select five people as the best of the year. One of them once joked that this election is completely democratic, but the number of voters is one. The editor can select whoever he wants, but usually performance and influence in the previous English season play a big role in it. The award has been given since 1889. Only one cricketer from Bangladesh is on this list. Tamim Iqbal in recognition of his two centuries in consecutive Tests at Lord's and Old Trafford in 2010. However, there were four people on the list instead of five.

A person can be the Leading Cricketer of the Year more than once. Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes have received this recognition three times. Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara have received it twice. The rules for Cricketers of the Year are different again. Which cannot happen a second time.