India's Women's Cricket Team Makes History with Laureus Nomination

NEW DELHI: In a groundbreaking achievement for Indian sports, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led women's cricket team has been nominated for the 2026 Laureus World Team of the Year Award. This nomination marks a historic first, as they become the inaugural women's cricket team to receive this prestigious honor from Laureus Sport.

The nomination comes on the heels of the team's triumphant World Cup campaign, where they clinched their first-ever title. A pivotal moment in their journey was the semi-final against Australia, where they achieved a record-breaking feat by successfully chasing 339 runs—the highest successful run chase in women's ODI history. This set the stage for their victory over South Africa in the final.

Laureus Sport highlighted this accomplishment in their press release: “In their Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia, the India Women's Cricket Team pulled off the highest successful run chase in women's ODI history (339) – before winning their first title against South Africa and are the first women's cricket team to be nominated for this Award.”

Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian squad now shares the nomination spotlight with international powerhouses such as the England Women’s football team, the European Ryder Cup squad, Paris Saint-Germain, and the McLaren Formula 1 team. The victory ignited nationwide celebrations, prompting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to award the team a substantial cash prize of Rs 51 crore.

This nomination places the team in rarefied air alongside previous Indian nominees in major Laureus categories, including wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, athlete Neeraj Chopra, and cricketer Rishabh Pant. The winners will be selected by the esteemed Laureus World Sports Academy jury and revealed during a glamorous ceremony at Madrid's Cibeles Palace on April 20—an event that will mark the third consecutive year the Spanish capital hosts the awards.