Hardik Pandya with Abhishek Sharma, Samson & Suryavanshi (PC -x.com/IMManu_18)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recognised the championships and accolades of the last season by hosting the Naman Awards 2026 on Sunday. The star-studded award evening included an on-stage chat with the two-time T20 World Cup member, Hardik Pandya.
India's senior men's team, the women's team, and the U19 boys and girls were awarded for winning five ICC titles last season - a historic first for the country. Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid, Mithali Raj, and Roger Binny were honoured by the Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
Shubman Gill was handed the Polly Umrigar Award for becoming the Best Men's International Cricketer, while Smriti Mandhana made history by winning the women's equivalent for the fifth time.
Read More: BCCI Naman Award Winners List 2026- Shubman Gill, Rahul Dravid, Among Others Felicitated
Hardik Pandya picks Wasim Jaffer as idol
Between the ceremony, host Harsha Bhogle had a brief on-stage interaction with four household names: Hardik Pandya, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
During the fun chat, when the host asked the four cricketers about their cricketing idols they had while growing up. Samson named the great Sachin Tendulkar as his idol, while Sharma picked Yuvraj Singh, who has also coached/mentored him famously. The young prodigy decided to choose Yuvraj and Brian Lara. However, Pandya headlined by calling Wasim Jaffer his cricketing idol.
The Mumbaikar had also played 31 Test matches for India, debuting against South Africa at Wankhede in 2000. During his international career spanning over eight years, Jaffer scored nearly 2000 Test runs, including five centuries and 11 half-centuries, with a best score of 212 against the West Indies in 2006. He also smacked a famous double-hundred against Pakistan in Kolkata in 2007.
Further in the chat, when the host asked their first video games, a candid Hardik Pandya answered with WWE humorously.
The X-Factor Hardik Pandya!
Along with the Indian senior men's team, Hardik Pandya was honoured for winning two ICC titles inside a year - the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the iconic T20 World Cup earlier this month. The all-rounder was one of the six players who coincided in both squads.
In the Champions Trophy, Pandya may have had a quieter tournament in terms of stats, but he was India's X-factor during the historic T20 World Cup triumph, where he scored 217 runs and took 9 wickets, including 2 Player of the Match awards.
Interestingly, the 32-year-old was also in the title-winning squad during the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he famously dismissed an on-song Heinrich Klaasen with an off-cutter in the final.
Next stop? IPL trophy for Hardik Pandya
The prolific all-rounder Hardik Pandya will next be seen leading the Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL 2026. The five-time champions, who haven't won a title since 2020, have assembled a top-drawer squad this season, with a Herculean core in Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Quinton de Kock, Tilak Varma, Mitchell Santner and Pandya himself.
MI will kickstart their campaign on March 29 against Kolkata at Wankhede, before playing two away fixtures against Delhi and Rajasthan. They will return home for the final game of the first phase of the IPL 2026 schedule, to face off with RCB on April 12.
The BCCI will reveal the remaining part of the schedule after the Election Commission of India announces the state election dates for West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Keralam.
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