India's paceman Jasprit Bumrah was honoured as the Leading Men's Cricketer in the World in the 2025 edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, following a sensational year in both red-ball and white-ball cricket.
Alongside him, compatriot Smriti Mandhana claimed the title of Leading Women's Cricketer of the Year.
Bumrah’s remarkable achievements in 2024 saw him take 71 Test wickets at an extraordinary average of less than 15. He also earned the title of player of the tournament as India triumphed in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
Wisden editor Lawrence Booth lauded Bumrah’s performance, calling him "quite simply the star of the year". Reflecting on the paceman's dominance during India's Test series in Australia, Booth described Bumrah as "so lethal, so uniquely challenging—a staccato of limbs somehow forming a symphony" that runs scored off him should have "counted double".
Booth continued: "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."
Despite Bumrah's heroics, Australia claimed victory in the five-Test series, which concluded in early January with a 3-1 result.
Meanwhile, Mandhana, the 28-year-old Indian batter, earned the Leading Women’s Cricketer award after amassing 1,659 runs across all formats in 2024, the most by any woman in a calendar year of international cricket.
West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran was named the leading T20 cricketer, rounding off the notable recognitions in the Almanack.
In a separate segment of the Almanack, Booth was critical of Jay Shah’s seamless transition from the most influential figure in Indian cricket to the chairman of the International Cricket Council. He wrote, "2024 was the year cricket gave up any claim to being properly administered, with checks, balances, and governance for the many, not the few." He added: "Cricket has handed over the only key not already in India’s possession. All hail the Big One."
The 2025 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, published on Thursday, also recognised five Cricketers of the Year, based on performances during the previous English season. England's Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith, and Sophie Ecclestone were named among the recipients, along with Hampshire's Liam Dawson and Surrey's Dan Worrall.
