The 2025 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack awarded India pacer Jasprit Bumrah the Leading Men’s Cricketer in the World, while fellow countrywoman Smriti Mandhana won the women’s prize.
The sport’s “bible” bestowed the honour on Bumrah following an incredible 2024 in which he shown exceptional skill in both red-ball and white-ball cricket.
As India won the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, the 31-year-old took 71 Test wickets at an average of less than 15 and was named player of the tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah was billed as “quite simply the star of the year” by Wisden editor Lawrence Booth.
“He was so lethal, so uniquely challenging — a staccato of limbs somehow forming a symphony — that runs scored off him should have counted double,” Booth wrote in reference to Bumrah’s incredible performances during India’s Test series in Australia.
“And while taking 32 Australian wickets at 13 each, he laid a claim to be considered the greatest of all time, becoming the first with 200 Test wickets at an average below 20.”
Australia won the five-Test series, which concluded in early January, 3-1, despite Bumrah’s valiant efforts.
Mandhana, 28, won the title of Leading Women’s Cricketer in the World, completing an Indian double. In 2024, the batter amassed 1,659 runs in all formats, which was the highest total by a female player in an international cricket calendar year.
Nicholas Pooran, a batter for the West Indies, was awarded the top T20 cricket player in the league.
Since its initial publication in 1864, The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack has been produced every year.
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