Mumbai’s young opening batter Ira Jadhav was honoured with the Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy for Best Woman Cricketer (Domestic) at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 held on March 15. The 16-year-old received the recognition following her impactful performances in the Women’s Under-19 One Day Trophy, where her aggressive batting displays drew widespread attention.
Jadhav’s most remarkable innings came against Meghalaya in Alur, when she struck an unbeaten 346 from 157 deliveries to guide Mumbai to a massive total of 563 for 3. Her knock featured 42 boundaries and 16 sixes, played at a strike rate of 220.38. Meghalaya were bowled out for 19 in response, handing Mumbai a commanding 544-run victory.
During that innings, Jadhav was involved in two substantial partnerships. She shared a 274-run stand for the second wicket with captain Hurley Gala, who made 116 from 79 balls, contributing 149 from 71 deliveries herself in that phase. She later added another 186 runs alongside Diksha Pawar, with her share amounting to 137 from 50 balls. The sustained pressure resulted in three Meghalaya bowlers conceding more than 100 runs each.
A student of Shardashram Vidyamandir International School and an admirer of Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and Ajit Agarkar, Jadhav has emerged as a promising talent from Mumbai’s strong cricketing structure. She had earlier registered for the Women’s Premier League 2025 auction at the age of 14 but went unsold. Shortly afterwards, she was named as a standby player in India’s Under-19 T20 World Cup squad in Malaysia.
Under the captaincy of Niki Prasad, India successfully defended their title in the tournament, defeating South Africa, led by Kayla Reyneke, by nine wickets in the final on February 2, 2025.
Across five matches and five innings in the Women’s Under-19 One Day Trophy, Jadhav scored 201 runs at an average of 50.25 and a strike rate of 97.10, including an unbeaten half-century. Her performances have underlined her ability to combine attacking strokeplay with composure in building partnerships.
The recognition at the Naman Awards, named after former cricket administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya, highlights her rapid rise in domestic cricket and reinforces her potential as one of the emerging prospects in Indian women’s cricket.
