New Delhi [India], November 28 (ANI): The International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah was named as the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year 2025 in the Outstanding Achievement category on Friday, a recognition of his influential role in shaping cricket’s global future. The award reflects Shah’s leadership at a time when the sport is evolving rapidly. His push for strong governance, deeper pathways for emerging cricket nations and a bold expansion of the women’s game have contributed to cricket’s most transformative phase in decades. His pioneering efforts to bring cricket back to the Olympic stage have strengthened the sport’s global footprint and unlocked new opportunities. Shah has also played a pivotal role in driving record fan engagement
and modernising the game’s commercial approach. His decisions have helped cricket adapt to new audiences, new markets, and a changing media landscape while keeping the core of the sport intact, according to a press release. The honour was followed by an insightful interaction with Shah on global cricket and his vision for the game. Women’s cricket took centre stage, coming on the heels of a landmark ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. The evening also celebrated India’s exceptional women’s side, fresh off their triumphant campaign at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, head coach Amol Muzumdar and key members of the squad received the Indian of the Year Award in the Sports category. Their win reflects a team that has carried the weight of expectation, delivered under pressure and redefined what Indian women’s cricket stands for on the world stage. Some of the most significant reforms for women’s cricket in India, such as equal match fees with their men’s counterparts, and the game-changing Women’s Premier League (WPL) becoming a reality during his tenure as the BCCI honorary secretary from 2019-2024. Speaking during his acceptance speech, Jay dedicated the award to the Women’s World Cup-winning skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, and former cricketers Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj, among the biggest names in Indian women’s cricket. He highlighted some big measures taken by BCCI during his tenure as honorary secretary and named the introduction of WPL and pay parity for women’s teams as his favourite reforms. “Harman, Jhulan di and Mithali are here. I would like to dedicate this award to all of you. I would like to take you all (the audience) back to the time before December 1 last year (when he began his tenure as ICC chairman). From 23 October 2019 (when he started as BCCI secretary) until then, we made many decisions and achieved several milestones. We strengthened domestic structures, achieved pay parity, and introduced the WPL. We did the 50,000 crore media rights deal without controversy. We made the NCA (Centre of Excellence) with 20 lakh square feet of construction and all the facilities. Players play in Cape Town, Perth, Sydney, Lord’s, and Melbourne; all pitches are available there. My favourites were the pay parity and the WPL launch. The result is out there for you all to see. I want to congratulate Harman and the entire team for winning our hearts, competing with our boys and putting pressure on them (to win ICC titles).” (ANI)
