Smriti Mandhana becomes the only Indian on TIME's first-ever 100 Most Influential People in Sports list

Dubai: Indian women's cricket has reached a new global milestone. Smriti Mandhana, the vice-captain of the Indian women's national team, has been named to TIME's inaugural TIME100 Sports list, making her the only Indian to feature among the 100 most influential figures shaping global sport in 2026.

The list, unveiled by TIME on June 9, places Mandhana alongside some of the biggest names in world sport, including LeBron James, who graces the cover and is ranked as the list's highest-profile figure, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Alcaraz, Shohei Ohtani, Caitlin Clark and Rory McIlroy.

TIME's profile praised Mandhana's extraordinary run of records, noting that the Mumbai-born left-handed opener was the first Indian woman to score a double century in a domestic one-day game, the first to score a century in all three international formats, and a joint holder of the record for most international centuries in women's cricket with 17. "The records keep tumbling in," TIME wrote. She is also the first woman to score more than 1,000 one-day international runs in a single calendar year.

But TIME noted that Mandhana herself takes the most pride in her team achievements. She captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women's Premier League titles in both 2024 and 2026, and served as vice-captain for India's triumphant run at last year's ICC Women's World Cup, where she finished as the tournament's second-highest run scorer.

In 2024, she set the record for most international runs across formats by a woman, then broke her own record again the following year, a achievement that contributed to her being named BBC Indian Sportswoman of 2025.

TIME's first-ever sports list spans athletes, coaches, executives and changemakers across the global sporting landscape, organised into tiers including Icons, Titans, Innovators and Leaders. Alongside the football and basketball icons, the list also recognises South African cricket captain Temba Bavuma, who led his side to a historic Test series win in India and a World Test Championship title last year, as well as FIFA president Gianni Infantino, golfer Rory McIlroy and skier Eileen Gu.

The list places considerable emphasis on women shaping the sporting world, with names including Alex Morgan, Lindsey Vonn, Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, Dawn Staley and Mikaela Shiffrin also featured. TIME CEO Jessica Sibley said the list "recognizes individuals who are not only excelling in their fields, but also shaping culture, expanding opportunity, and influencing the world far beyond competition."

Mandhana's inclusion places Indian women's cricket squarely within that global conversation, recognising not just her individual brilliance with the bat but the broader role she has played in elevating the sport's visibility both in India and internationally.

TIME will host its first TIME100 Sports Gala on July 16 in New York City, with the full list appearing in the magazine's June 22 issue.