Smriti Mandhana is named TIME magazine's 100 most influential sportspersons list. (Image: Reuters)

Smriti Mandhana only Indian in Time's list of Most Influential Sportspersons

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has been named in TIME magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports for 2026. She is the only Indian in the list led by LeBron James.

by · India Today

In Short

  • TIME magazine releases list of the 100 most influential sportspeople in 2026
  • Smriti Mandhana is the only Indian athlete to feature in the list
  • LeBron James headlines the list which has Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has been named in TIME magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports for 2026, emerging as the only Indian athlete to feature in the annual selection.

TIME described the list as a collection of athletes, coaches, executives, investors and changemakers who are shaping the sporting landscape globally.

Mandhana joins an elite group of international stars that includes LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Alcaraz, Eileen Gu, Rory McIlroy, Victor Wembanyama and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Explaining her inclusion, TIME highlighted Mandhana's role in pushing the boundaries of women's cricket while combining individual milestones with team success.

The publication noted that Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score a double century in a domestic one-day game and the first Indian woman to register centuries across all three international formats. It also highlighted that she is tied for the most centuries in women's international cricket with 17 and became the first player to score more than 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year.

The 29-year-old has also enjoyed sustained success at the franchise and international level.

TIME pointed to her leadership role in guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women's Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026 and her contribution to India's ICC Women's World Cup-winning campaign last year, where she finished among the tournament's leading run-scorers.

"Records keep tumbling in" for Mandhana, TIME wrote in its profile.

Her consistency has translated into historic numbers as well. In 2024, Mandhana set the record for the most international runs scored by a woman across formats in a calendar year before surpassing her own mark in 2025 - a run that also earned her the BBC Indian Sportswoman award.

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