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Daryl Mitchell, Sobhana Mostary Crowned ICC Players of the Month for January 2026

New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell won the ICC Men's Player of the Month for January 2026 after scoring back-to-back centuries to secure New Zealand's historic first ODI series win in India. His performances, which included a Player of the Series award, also propelled him back to the number one spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings. Bangladesh's Sobhana Mostary clinched the women's award for her dominant batting in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier, leading her team to an unbeaten tournament run and qualification. Both players beat out strong competition from other international stars to claim the monthly honors.

Key Points: ICC Names Mitchell & Mostary Players of the Month for Jan 2026

  • Mitchell's twin centuries in India
  • NZ's first ODI series win in India
  • Mostary's T20 World Cup qualifier heroics
  • Mitchell regains No.1 ODI ranking
  • Bangladesh qualifies unbeaten
2 min read

NZ's Daryl Mitchell, Bangladesh's Sobhana Mostary get ICC Player of the Month Awards 2026

New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell and Bangladesh's Sobhana Mostary win ICC Player of the Month awards for January 2026 after stellar performances.

"Mitchell was at the heart of this fightback - ICC report"

Dubai, February 28

New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and Bangladesh's Sobhana Mostary secured the ICC Men's Player of the Month Award for January 2026.

Mitchell made back-to-back centuries during January, helping the Kiwis secure their first-ever ODI series win on Indian soil, winning the series 2-1. The Black Caps player beat Indian T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and star England batter Joe Root to the award, as per ICC.

The three-match ODI series saw the Kiwis overturn a 0-1 deficit to win the series 2-1. Mitchell was at the heart of this fightback, with an unbeaten 131 in the second match and followed it up with an even better knock of 137 in the third to lift his team to a match-winning total of 337/8, which proved to be too much for India despite a classy 124 from Virat Kohli and half-centuries from Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Mitchell scored 352 runs at an average of 176 to earn the 'Player of the Series' award. Following these strong performances, Mitchell also regained the number one spot in ICC ODI batting rankings. In the following five-match T20I series against the same opponents, he scored 125 runs at a strike rate of 186.56.

On the other hand, Mostary's stunning performance in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier helped her bag the ICC Women's Player of the Month for January 2026.

The star batter was nominated alongside Ireland captain Gaby Lewis and American left-arm pacer Tara Norris.

During the last month's global qualifier, Mostary scored 229 runs at an average of 45.80 and a strike rate of 145.85 in the first six matches. She was key to Bangladesh finishing unbeaten in the tournament and earning their spot in the showpiece tournament to be held later this year.

Bangladesh confirmed their spot for the marquee event in June and July with a 39-run win over Thailand. In that contest, Mostary scored a 'Player of the Match', winning 59. She followed it up with another brilliant innings of 47 against Scotland.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Shreya B
So happy for Sobhana Mostary! 🎉 It's fantastic to see women's cricket from our subcontinent getting global recognition. Bangladesh women's team has been improving so much. More power to them! Hope the Indian women's team is taking notes.
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Vikram M
Mitchell's average of 176 in the series is just insane. Absolute batting masterclass on our pitches. Hats off. At least Virat played a great knock too in the losing cause. But honestly, where was our bowling? 337 is too much to chase consistently.
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Ananya R
Great to see the awards going to players from smaller cricketing nations (compared to the big three). Mitchell fully deserved it. But a respectful criticism: the article focuses so much on the men's award. Sobhana's achievement for Bangladesh women is equally, if not more, significant given the context.
K
Karthik V
Well deserved for Mitchell. He played like a man possessed. Sometimes you just have to accept that the opposition player was better on the day... or in this case, the whole month! Onwards and upwards for Team India. The T20 World Cup is what matters now.
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Nisha Z
Fantastic news for Bangladesh cricket! Sobhana's performance is inspiring for young girls across South Asia. The women's game is growing so fast. Hope this encourages more investment and viewership back home in India too.

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