Jasprit Bumrah, Smriti Mandhana Named Wisden Leading Cricketers of the Year 2024

Ace Indian cricketers Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana have achieved a remarkable double in this year's Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, published on Tuesday.

Recognized for their outstanding performances throughout the year, Bumrah and Mandhana have been named the men’s and women’s Leading Cricketers in the World, respectively.

Despite India’s loss in the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Bumrah was praised for his contributions and credited with keeping his country competitive. He took 32 wickets at an average of 13.06. Across the season, he claimed a total of 71 Test wickets at an average of less than 15.

Bumrah made history by becoming the first Test bowler to take 200 wickets at an average below 20. In addition to his red-ball success, his exceptional bowling played a crucial role in India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

In the final, his figures of 2/18 were instrumental in putting South Africa under pressure. At one stage, South Africa needed only 30 runs from the last 30 balls, but Bumrah’s performance helped India seal a thrilling victory.

"In an eventful year for Indian cricket, their success depended largely—if not entirely—on one factor: whether or not he had the ball. Rarely has a cricketer stood out so overwhelmingly as he did in 2024," Wisden wrote about Bumrah.

Smriti Mandhana Makes Indian Women’s Cricket Proud

Smriti Mandhana has made history as the first Indian woman to win the Leading Cricketer in the World award twice since its inception.

She set a new record for most runs scored by a woman in a calendar year of international cricket, amassing 1,659 runs across all formats in 2024.

A highlight of her stellar year was her dominant performance against South Africa, where she scored 117, 136, and 90 in three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), setting a bilateral series record of 343 runs. She later added 149 runs in a single Test match.

Mandhana also led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their first Women's Premier League (WPL) title, further cementing her legacy in Indian cricket.

Meanwhile, Gus Atkinson, Liam Dawson, Sophie Ecclestone, Jamie Smith, and Dan Worrall were named Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year.

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