Daryl Mitchell bags ICC Player of the Month Award for January 2026, Sobhana Mostary wins big
Published - 28 Feb 2026, 01:52 PM | Updated - 28 Feb 2026, 11:35 PM
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month for January 2026 on Saturday, February 28, with Daryl Mitchell and Sobhana Mostary clinching the honors.
It was the first-ever ICC Player of the Match award for both Daryl Mitchell, who is currently playing in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, and Sobhana Mostary.
Daryl Mitchell wins ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award
New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell has been named the ICC Player of the Month for January 2026 for playing a huge role in New Zealand’s ODI series win over India in that month.
The New Zealander beat India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and England’s experienced batter Joe Root to clinch the award. Daryl Mitchell set India on fire during New Zealand’s white-ball series with pure match-winning performances with the bat.
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After New Zealand went 0-1 down in the ODI series, Mitchell flipped the script in style. He smashed an unbeaten 131 in the second ODI and followed it with a powerful 137 in the decider and helped the Black Caps to seal the stunning 2-1 series win over the Men in Blue.
He ended the ODI series with 352 runs at a massive average of 176, won the Player of the Series award, and reclaimed the No. 1 spot in ICC ODI rankings. In the five-match T20I series, Mitchell amassed 125 runs at a fiery strike rate of 186.56.
Sobhana Mostary wins ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award
Bangladesh batter Sobhana Mostary won the ICC Player of the Month award in the women's category for January 2026. She impressed everyone with her brilliant performances in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier.
Mostary was picked for this honor over the Ireland captain Gaby Lewis and USA left-arm pacer Tara Norris. She was one of the biggest stars at the recent Global Qualifier tournament. In the first six matches, she scored 229 runs at an average of 45.80 and an impressive strike rate of 145.85.
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Her attacking batting gave Bangladesh women strong starts and helped the team remain unbeaten throughout the tournament and seal the spot at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Mostary’s consistent and fearless batting helped her beat Gaby Lewis and Tara Norris to clinch this award.
Mitchell's T20 World Cup 2026 struggles
Daryl Mitchell was in stunning form during the ODI series against India, but his performance has dipped in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. The seasoned all-rounder has scored only 63 runs at a strike rate of 118.87 and an average of 21.00 so far in the tournament.
Looking at his overall T20I record, Mitchell has played 102 matches for the New Zealand national cricket team. He has scored 1862 runs at an average of 26.98 with a strike rate of 140.42.
In ODI cricket, Mitchell’s numbers are even more impressive. In 59 matches, he has scored 2690 runs at a superb average of 58.47 and a strike rate of 95.72.
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