Deepti Sharma was named Sportswoman of the Year (Team Sports) at the Sportstar Aces Awards 2026, held in Mumbai on Friday, in recognition of an outstanding season that elevated Indian cricket at a global stage.

The spin bowling all-rounder played a pivotal role in India’s maiden Women’s ODI World Cup triumph and was named Player of the Tournament after scoring 215 runs and claiming 22 wickets, the most in the competition. Deepti was instrumental in the final against South Africa, scoring a half-century and returning a five-wicket haul. In doing so, the Agra-born cricketer became the first player to achieve the World Cup double of 200-plus runs and 20-plus wickets.

“I enjoy being an all-rounder because it gives me three ways to contribute to the team,” Deepti said receiving the award. “The first time I batted, it was left-handed. From whatever cricket I had seen, there weren’t many left-handers, but it came naturally to me.”

“I’ve batted at almost every position in the order. You just need to be ready for whatever situation arises — sometimes you might face the new ball, sometimes you need to build an innings. For that, you have to be mentally strong,” she added.

Within weeks of the World Cup, Deepti became the second-most expensive player in Women’s Premier League history after being retained by UP Warriorz for Rs. 3.20 crore at the 2026 auction.

She also rose to the top of the ICC Women’s T20I bowling rankings for the first time in her career.

The 2026 Sportstar Aces Awards are presented by Amul, co-presented by Casagrand in association with SRM Institute of Science and Technology. SBI, Christ University, Bharat Petroleum, LIC, Sports Authority of Telangana, NTPC, Indian Softball Cricket Foundation, Jaquar And Company Private Limited are associate partners. Reva University is the education partner. Blue Star is the cooling partner while Times Now is the telecast partner.

Published on Mar 13, 2026