ICC Men’s Player of the Month nominees for January 2026 revealed

Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand)

New Zealand star Daryl Mitchell enjoyed a good start to the year as he led his team to a 2-1 away win against India in the ODI series.

Mitchell scored back-to-back centuries in the second and third match of the series to help New Zealand overturn a 0-1 deficit. A tally of 352 runs, at an average of 176, against India saw Mitchell earn the Player of the Series and also zoom to No. 1 in ICC ODI batting rankings.

He also contributed 125, at a strike rate of 186.56, in the five-match T20I series against India.

Joe Root (England)

Joe Root was at the heart of England's comeback series win against Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series.

Getting better as the series progressed, Root scored 61 in the opening match, and then upped the ante for 75 in the second and an unbeaten 111 in the series decider as England recovered from 0-1 deficit to clinch the series 2-1.

He was named the Player of the Series for a total of 242 runs and two wickets.

Root also provided a rare spark in a difficult Ashes 2025/26 against Australia. Though the hosts eventually won the series 4-1, Root's 160 in the first innings of the Sydney Test served a reminder of his genius.

Suryakumar Yadav (India)

Suryakumar Yadav rocked into form just ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, with a sensational run against New Zealand in the five-match T20I series.

After a lean phase, where he failed to notch 50 in 25 matches, Yadav scored three half-centuries to lead India to a 4-1 win. Yadav notched 242 runs in five matches, at a strike rate of 196.74, and was named the Player of the Series.

The standout innings came in the second match, when Yadav scored an unbeaten 82 to help India overhaul New Zealand's total of 208 in just 15.2 overs. It was India's second-highest successful chase in the shortest format of the game.

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