Rahul Dravid ended his coaching career on a high after India won the T20 World Cup 2024 crown (PTI Photo)
BCCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award on March 15. Rahul Dravid is to be honoured with the Colonel C. K. Naidu Lifetime Achievement Award by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for his contribution to Indian cricket. Rahul Dravid, known as “THE WALL” in world cricket, is the first cricketer to receive this honour after Sachin Tendulkar in 2024.
A huge celebration of Indian cricket’s history and future is being organized by the BCCI. On March 15, 2026, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will hold its annual awards ceremony. At the occasion in New Delhi, Shubman Gill will be awarded the Men’s Cricketer of the Year for 2025, while former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid will be given the esteemed Colonel CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Greate Rahul Dravid
It is generally known how Rahul Dravid changed from being a legendary batsman and excellent catcher to a coach who can change lives. Known as “The Wall,” Dravid dominated the Indian middle order for almost sixteen years while amassing 13,000 Test and 10,000 ODI runs during his playing career. In the 2000s, India achieved numerous landmark victories abroad thanks in large part to his technical skill and perseverance.
But after he retired in 2012, he made a much greater contribution to Indian cricket. When Dravid assumed charge of the India A and Under-19 teams, he built a solid talent pool. When he guided the senior men’s side to the ICC T20 World Cup victory in 2024, he ended an 11-year drought for an ICC trophy, capping his coaching career. The BCCI’s choice to present the Lifetime Achievement Award honors this twin tradition of unselfish mentoring and individual accomplishment.
Dravid will join the select group of cricket players that includes Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Kris Srikkanth, and Anjum Chopra as the first man to get the coveted accolade since Sachin Tendulkar in 2025.
Shubman Gill Best International Cricketer (2025)
Shubman Gill, who is eligible to win the Polly Umrigar Award for the Best International Cricketer (2025) by BCCI , is also in the spotlight. The 26-year-old enjoyed a historic year, solidifying his position as a mainstay of the national team in all formats. Gill became the world’s most prolific hitter at the end of the 2025 season after taking over as Test and ODI captain, scoring 1,764 runs at an average of 49. Under his direction, India defeated the West Indies in a series and drew the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England.
Gill’s T20I troubles have left many perplexed about this title coming to the 26-year-old, despite his outstanding Test and comparatively strong ODI performance in 2025.
In Test cricket, the Indian batsman had a successful season, amassing 983 runs. Gill scored 754 runs at an average of over 70 during India’s drawn away series against the England men’s national cricket team in 2025, accounting for a significant amount of that total.
BCCI give The five Indian teams that won ICC trophies in the previous year—one of the most prosperous eras in the nation’s cricket history—will also be honored at the Naman Awards 2026.
Gill continued his excellent streak in franchise cricket with a successful season in the Indian Premier League 2025, scoring 650 runs at an average of 50 for the Gujarat Titans.
PREVIOUS WINNERS: Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1994: Lala Amarnath (Inaugural winner)
- 1995: Syed Mushtaq Ali
- 2001: Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
- 2004: B.S. Bedi, B. Chandrasekhar, E.A.S. Prasanna, and S. Venkataraghavan
- 2008: Gundappa Viswanath
- 2011: Ajit Wadekar
- 2012: Sunil Gavaskar
- 2013: Kapil Dev
- 2015: Syed Kirmani
- 2019: Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Anjum Chopra
- 2023: Farokh Engineer and Ravi Shastri
- 2024: Sachin Tendulkar