The eighth edition of The Times of India Sports Awards will be held on March 21, 2026 in Lucknow, celebrating the achievements of India’s best sportspersons in various fields. The awards recognize performances from 1 January to 31 December 2025, honoring standout displays at world championships and major international events. With over 45 categories, TOISA highlights both established stars and emerging talents who have made the nation proud through exceptional performances over the past year.The winners will be selected by an eminent jury consisting of famous sports icons of India. Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, hockey great PR Sreejesh, former Indian captain Mithali Raj, Paralympic legend Devendra Jhajharia, table tennis stalwart Sharath Kamal and tennis icon Leander Pace will judge the nominees in all categories, ensuring a credible and expert assessment of Indian performance.The nominees for the Sportsperson of the Year category reflect the diversity and success of Indian sport in 2025. Teenage shooting sensation Saruchi Inder Singh enjoyed a stellar season with five gold medals across all stages of the ISSF World Cup and silver medals at the World Championships. Chess expert Divya Deshmukh created history by winning the Women’s Chess World Cup and earning the title of Grandmaster. in cricket, Smriti Mandhana Played a key role in India winning the first ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, while Shabman Gul Enjoyed a stellar year that included the ICC Champions Trophy and Asia Cup titles. Young shooter Samrat Rana also shined on the world stage, becoming the world champion in the 10m air pistol, capping a monumental year for the Indian sport.Here are the nominees for Sports Person of the Year. TOISA 2025:Saruchi Inder SinghDate of Birth: 28 April 2006Place of Birth: Jhajjar, HaryanaSports: Shooting (10m air pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (Team)ISSF World Cup Final: Gold (Individual)ISSF World Cup Buenos Aires: Gold (Individual), Bronze (Mixed Team)ISSF World Cup Lima: Gold (Individual), Gold (Mixed Team)ISSF World Cup Munich: Gold (Individual)Asian Championships: Bronze (Team), Bronze (Mixed Team)2025 was a breakthrough year for teenage shooter Saruchi Singh. The 19-year-old rose to prominence after winning five gold medals at the ISSF World Cup stages. He opened with an individual gold at the ISSF World Cup in Argentina, where he also claimed a mixed team bronze. He followed that with a double gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Peru followed by the individual title and the mixed team gold with Saurabh Chaudhary. Saruchi then won another individual gold at the ISSF World Cup in Germany before winning her fifth gold medal at the ISSF World Cup Final in Doha. He also added a team silver at the ISSF World Championships and won two bronze medals at the Asian Championships to complete an impressive season. Duya DeshmukhDate of Birth: 9 December 2005Place of Birth: Nagpur, MaharashtraSports: ChessKey achievements in 2025:Women’s Chess World Cup: WinnersGrandmaster (GM) titleQualified for the 2026 Women Candidates Tournament.Born on December 9, 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Divya Deshmukh quickly established herself as one of India’s brightest chess talents. Known for her sharp calculations, strategic depth, and composure under pressure, Divya has consistently impressed internationally, combining strategic acumen with a strong competitive mindset.The year 2025 proved to be historic for his career. She won the Women’s Chess World Cup, defeating top contenders and establishing herself as a major force in world women’s chess. This historic victory also earned her the prestigious title of Grand Master (GM), making her the 88th Grand Master of India and the fourth Indian woman to achieve this feat. Additionally, her performance secured her qualification for the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament, bringing her one step closer to challenging for the Women’s World Championship.With her talent, dedication and early success, Divya Deshmukh is widely regarded as a star of the future in Indian and international chess, inspiring a new generation of players.Smriti MandhanaDate of Birth: 18 July 1996Place of Birth: Mumbai, MaharashtraSports: CricketKey achievements in 2025:ICC ODI World Cup 2025: Winner as Vice-Captain of Team IndiaODI Stats in 2025: 1362 runs in 23 matches | Ave. 61.9 | SR 109.92 | 5 hundredsT20I stats in 2025: 341 runs in 9 matches | Ave. 37.88 | SR 135.85 | 1 hundredIn 2025, Smriti Mandhana played a defining role in Indian women’s cricket history as the vice-captain of the team that lifted the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title – India’s first victory in the tournament. India began a memorable campaign by defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium on November 2. Mandhana was central to the win, scoring 434 runs in the tournament and becoming the second highest run-scorer. During the event, scored a stunning 50-ball century against England which was the second fastest century in women’s international cricket. During the calendar year, she became the first woman to score more than 1,000 ODI runs in a single year and broke her own record for most ODI centuries in a single year, scoring 5 centuries in 2025 – joint-most with Tazmin Brits.Mandhana also achieved important career milestones across all formats. In December, during the home series against Sri Lanka, she became the second woman to reach 4000 runs in T20 Internationals after Suzy Bates. In the same series, she went past 10,000 runs in women’s international cricket, becoming only the second Indian after Mithali Raj and fourth overall to achieve the historic feat.Samrat RanaDate of Birth: 8 January 2005Place of Birth: Karnal, HaryanaSports: Shooting (10m air pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Gold (Individual), Gold (Team) and Silver (Mixed Team)ISSF World Cup Final: Bronze (Individual)Youngster Sumrit Rana created history last year by becoming India’s first world champion in his event, 10m Air Pistol, marking a major breakthrough in his career. The former junior world champion produced a sensational performance at the ISSF World Championships 2025, where he emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest stars with three medals. Rana won a gold medal in the individual event followed by another gold medal in the team event. She also won a silver medal in the mixed team event with Isha Singh.With this impressive performance, Rana became only the third Indian shooting world champion, joining an elite list that includes Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra and world champion Rudrankish Patil. The 21-year-old continued to shine at the end of the season, adding a bronze medal at the Doha World Cup Final, ensuring that the year will go down as one of the most memorable and important stages of his fast-growing shooting journey.Shabman GulDate of Birth: 8 September 1999Place of Birth: Fazilka, PunjabSports: CricketKey achievements in 2025:ICC Champions Trophy 2025: WinnerACC Asia Cup: WinnerTest stats in 2025: 983 runs in 9 matches | Ave. 70.21 | HS 269 | 5 hundredsODI stats in 2025: 490 runs in 11 matches | Ave. 49.00 | SR 88.76 | 2 hundredsT20I stats in 2025: 291 runs in 15 matches | Ave. 24.25 | SR 137.26 | HS 47 Shubman Gill enjoyed a brilliant 2025, cementing his status as one of the premier batsmen in world cricket. He won two ICC Men’s Player of the Month awards during the year, becoming the first male cricketer to win the award four times in total. Entering the ICC Champions Trophy as the top-ranked ODI batsman, Gill scored an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in the group stage, kick-starting India’s title campaign. He also served as Surya Kumar Yadav’s deputy in the 2025 Asia Cup (T20), where India lifted the trophy after defeating Pakistan in the final.In Tests, Gayle began a new era as captain following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He marked his captaincy debut with a century at Headingley, joining the elite list of Indian captains to score a century in their first Test in charge. He followed it up with back-to-back centuries at Edgbaston, including a monumental 269 – the highest Test score by an Indian captain – and 161,430 runs in the same match, the second-highest total in a Test after Graham Gooch. Also became the third Indian captain to score five Test centuries in a calendar year, emulating the rare feat of Gayle Kohli.
