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Indias Shafali Verma and Sree Charani, along with Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, have been nominated for the ICC Womens Player of the Month award for September 2026. It was following their standout performances across the Womens Asia Cup and Asian Games held back-to-back, according to the ICC website.
Shafali enjoyed a prolific September as India won the Womens Asia Cup before going on to secure gold at the Asian Games. The explosive opener amassed 360 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 72.00 and a strike rate of 184.61. She also made valuable contributions with the ball, taking six wickets at an average of 13.00 and an economy rate of 4.33. Verma finished the Womens Asia Cup as the tournaments leading run-scorer, collecting 236 runs in five innings. Her campaign included scores of 64 in the semi-final against Bangladesh and 68 in the final against Sri Lanka, helping India claim a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title. She carried her form into the Asian Games in Japan, scoring 188 runs across three innings. After remaining unbeaten on 40 against Japan, Verma struck her maiden T20I century in the semi-final against Bangladesh, smashing 100 off just 49 balls. She followed it with 48 in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka as India secured a 147-run victory. Verma also contributed with the ball throughout the month, taking two wickets in the Asia Cup and four at the Asian Games. Two of her Asian Games wickets came in the crucial gold-medal clash. Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu delivered strong all-round performances in September as her team reached the finals of the Womens Asia Cup and the Asian Games. Across seven T20Is, Athapaththu scored 226 runs at an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 140.37. She was equally effective with the ball, claiming 14 wickets at an average of 10.21 and an economy rate of 6.08. Her most notable bowling performance came early in the Womens Asia Cup against Indonesia, where she returned with extraordinary figures of 7/5 and also completed a hat-trick. The spell was the fifth-best bowling performance in Womens T20Is at the time and marked only the sixth occasion where a bowler had taken seven or more wickets in a Womens T20I. Athapaththu had an impressive run at the Asian Games, scoring 175 runs in three innings. She began with a 63 against Malaysia before producing an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls against Pakistan in the semi-final, helping Sri Lanka secure a place in the gold-medal match. She ended the competition as Sri Lankas leading run-scorer and also contributed three wickets as the team went on to win the silver medal. Sree Charani played a key role with the ball as India won the Womens Asia Cup and successfully retained their Asian Games gold medal in womens cricket. The left-arm spinner claimed 18 wickets in seven T20Is during September, averaging 4.83 with an economy rate of 3.30. Charani took 12 wickets during Indias triumphant Womens Asia Cup campaign, including impressive figures of 4/20 in the final against Sri Lanka. She continued her excellent form at the Asian Games, returning 4/10 against Japan before taking 2/7 against Bangladesh and 2/13 against Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match. Her eight wickets at the tournament took her tally for September to 18. Charanis outstanding month was further highlighted by a historic rise in the ICC Womens T20I Player Rankings. At the end of September, she reached 817 rating points to become the highest-rated womens T20I bowler in history, surpassing Australias Megan Schutt, whose previous record was 806 points. With her performances helping India secure both the Asia Cup and Asian Games titles, Charani emerged as one of the leading wicket-takers across the two competitions during a remarkable September. (ANI)
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