Shafali, Charani, Athapaththu nominated for ICC Women's Player of Month September 2026
Synopsis
In a month where India swept both the Women's Asia Cup and Asian Games gold, Shafali Verma scored 360 runs including a maiden T20I century, while Sree Charani broke the all-time women's T20I bowling rating record with 817 points. Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu countered with a 7/5 spell and an unbeaten 83 to reach two finals. All three are now on the ICC's September shortlist.
Key Takeaways
Shafali Verma scored 360 runs in seven T20Is in September 2026, including a maiden T20I century of 100 off 49 balls against Bangladesh at the Asian Games.
Sree Charani claimed 18 wickets in seven T20Is at an average of 4.83 , becoming the highest-rated women's T20I bowler in history with 817 rating points , surpassing Australia's Megan Schutt (806 points).
India won a record-extending eighth Women's Asia Cup title and claimed the Asian Games gold medal in the same month.
Chamari Athapaththu took 7/5 against Indonesia — one of the best bowling spells in women's T20I history — and scored an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls against Pakistan at the Asian Games.
Sri Lanka reached the finals of both the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games, claiming the Asian Games silver medal .
Shafali Verma and Sree Charani of India, alongside Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, have been nominated for the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for September 2026, following a standout month of T20I cricket across the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games. The trio drove their respective teams to historic results — India completing a memorable double, and Sri Lanka reaching the finals of both tournaments.
Shafali Verma: Record Runs and a Maiden T20I Century
Shafali Verma dominated the batting charts in September, amassing 360 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 72.00 and a strike rate of 184.61. The 22-year-old was the leading run-scorer at the Women's Asia Cup, accumulating 236 runs across five innings. She struck 64 in the semifinal against Bangladesh and followed it with 68 in the final against Sri Lanka, as India clinched a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title.
Her prolific run continued at the Asian Games in Japan, where she scored 188 runs in three innings. After an unbeaten 40 against Japan, she produced her maiden T20I century in the semifinal against Bangladesh — smashing 100 off just 49 balls. She then contributed 48 in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka as India completed a dominant 147-run victory. Verma also chipped in with the ball, claiming six wickets at an average of 13.00 and an economy rate of 4.33 across the month — including two wickets at the Asia Cup and four at the Asian Games.
Sree Charani: History-Making Bowler Sets New T20I Record
Left-arm spinner Sree Charani emerged as one of the most devastating bowlers in women's T20I cricket during September, claiming 18 wickets in seven T20Is at an extraordinary average of 4.83 and an economy rate of 3.30. She was India's leading wicket-taker across both tournaments.
During the Women's Asia Cup, Charani took 12 wickets, highlighted by match-winning figures of 4/20 in the final against Sri Lanka. At the Asian Games, she continued her dominance with 4/10 against Japan, 2/7 against Bangladesh, and 2/13 in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka, bringing her Asian Games tally to six wickets.
The month culminated in a landmark achievement: Charani finished September with 817 rating points in the ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings, becoming the highest-rated women's T20I bowler in history and surpassing Australia's Megan Schutt, whose previous record stood at 806 points. Notably, this record came in only her second full month on the international stage, underscoring an exceptional rise.
Chamari Athapaththu: Sri Lanka's All-Round Force
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu delivered a commanding all-round campaign, scoring 226 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 140.37, while also claiming 14 wickets at an average of 10.21 and an economy rate of 6.08.
Her most stunning bowling effort came early in the Women's Asia Cup, when she returned extraordinary figures of 7/5 against Indonesia — including a hat-trick. The spell was, at the time, the fifth-best bowling performance in women's T20I cricket and only the sixth occasion on which a bowler had taken seven or more wickets in a Women's T20I.
With the bat at the Asian Games, Athapaththu was equally decisive. She scored 175 runs in three innings, anchored by an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls against Pakistan in the semifinal to guide Sri Lanka into the gold-medal match. She also contributed three wickets at the Asian Games as Sri Lanka claimed the silver medal.
India's Historic Double and What's at Stake
India's sweep of the Asia Cup and the Asian Games gold medal in the same month represents a significant milestone for women's cricket in the country. This comes amid growing momentum for the sport, with broadcast and sponsorship interest rising ahead of the next ICC Women's T20 World Cup cycle. For Verma and Charani, an ICC monthly award would add individual recognition to an already historic team achievement.
The winner of the ICC Women's Player of the Month for September 2026 will be announced shortly, with voting drawing from a combination of an ICC voting academy and public ballots.
Point of View
And the headline statistic belongs to Charani — an 817-point bowling rating that reset the historical benchmark. Yet the award race is genuinely open: Verma's 360-run haul at a 184-plus strike rate is the kind of batting that shifts tournament outcomes, not just scorecards. What the nominations collectively signal is that women's cricket in South Asia has moved beyond sentimental recognition — these are world-record numbers, not feel-good ones. The ICC and its commercial partners would do well to treat that as a scheduling and broadcast opportunity before the next global event.
NationPress
6 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the ICC Women's Player of the Month nominees for September 2026?
India's Shafali Verma and Sree Charani, along with Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, are the three nominees for the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for September 2026. All three delivered standout performances across the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games.
What did Shafali Verma achieve in September 2026?
Shafali Verma scored 360 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 72.00 and a strike rate of 184.61, making her the leading run-scorer at the Women's Asia Cup with 236 runs. She also hit her maiden T20I century — 100 off 49 balls — in the Asian Games semifinal against Bangladesh.
What record did Sree Charani break in September 2026?
Sree Charani ended September 2026 with 817 rating points in the ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings, making her the highest-rated women's T20I bowler in history. She surpassed Australia's Megan Schutt, whose previous record stood at 806 points, after taking 18 wickets across the Women's Asia Cup and Asian Games.
What was Chamari Athapaththu's standout performance in September 2026?
Athapaththu's most remarkable performance was her bowling figures of 7/5 against Indonesia at the Women's Asia Cup, which included a hat-trick and ranked as the fifth-best bowling spell in women's T20I history at the time. She also scored an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls against Pakistan in the Asian Games semifinal.
What team achievements backed the nominations this month?
India won both the Women's Asia Cup — their record-extending eighth title — and the Asian Games gold medal in September 2026. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, reached the finals of both tournaments, ultimately winning the Asian Games silver medal. All three nominees were central to these team outcomes.
