TOISA 2025: Uttar Pradesh cricketers shine in historic year for Indian cricket
The Times of India Sports Awards returns for its eighth edition, celebrating India's sporting achievements in 2025. Lucknow will host the ceremony on March 21, 2026. This year highlights historic wins for Indian cricket, with Deepti Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav earning nominations for their stellar performances.
The Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) returns for its eighth edition, celebrating the achievements and inspiring journeys of India’s finest athletes. The TOISA 2025 ceremony will be held on March 21, 2026, in Lucknow, bringing together the country’s top sporting icons and emerging stars. This edition will honour performances across more than 45 categories during the evaluation period from January 1 to December 31, 2025.
It was a remarkable year for Indian sport, marked by standout performances at global and continental events. The year 2025 proved historic for Indian cricket, especially in the women’s game. The Indian women’s team clinched their first-ever ICC title, winning the ODI World Cup at home.
The men’s team also enjoyed a successful year, lifting the ICC Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup. Cricketers from Uttar Pradesh played a key role in these achievements, with Agra’s Deepti Sharma being named Player of the Tournament in the women’s triumphant ODI World Cup campaign. Alongside Deepti, Kuldeep Yadav has also been nominated in the TOISA 2025 Cricketer of the Year category.
The experienced all-rounder Deepti shone with both bat and ball, scoring 215 runs and taking 22 wickets in nine matches at the World Cup. It was one of the greatest all-round performances in World Cup history, as she became the first cricketer (male or female) to achieve the rare feat of 200 runs and 20 wickets in a single edition. In the men’s team, wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav played a pivotal role in India’s Champions Trophy and Asia Cup triumphs.