Mumbai: Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli was conferred with the Polly Umrigar Trophy for Cricketer of the Year, while former stumper Syed Kirmani was bestowed with the prestigious Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in the BCCI awards night on Monday.
Speaking about the honour, Kirmani told BCCI.tv that winning the World Cup for India was the pinnacle of his career and his biggest achievement. “Personally, I was named the world’s best wicketkeeper for that World Cup and received a silver glove and silver ball with ‘The best wicketkeeper in the world’ inscribed underneath, from the great English wicketkeeper, Godfrey Evans. I was conferred the Arjuna Award and the Padmashree Award from the government of India and now this lifetime achievement award from the BCCI,” he said.
“These are all accolades I cannot quite put on the same pedestal but they are all the best achievements of my life and they are all special. Cricket was my life and it gave me a great education in the way of life,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mithali Raj, who won the Ma Chidambaram Trophy for Best Woman Cricketer (Sr) of 2014-15, said to BCCI.tv that she was very happy to receive the award again. “The last time I won was in 2007-08. When I am scoring runs in the domestic circuit, it gives me the confidence to perform at the international level. I received the Padma Shri and that was important as it recognized my contribution to women’s cricket.”
Complete list of the awardees
| Award | Winner |
| COL. C.K. NAYUDU LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD | S M H KIRMANI |
| POLLY UMRIGAR AWARD | VIRAT KOHLI |
| LALA AMARNATH AWARD FOR THE BEST ALL-ROUNDER IN THE RANJI TROPHY, 2014-15 | JALAJ SAXENA OF MADHYA PRADESH C A |
| LALA AMARNATH AWARD FOR THE BEST ALL-ROUNDER IN DOMESTIC LIMITED-OVERS COMPETITIONS, 2014-15 | DEEPAK HOODA OF BARODA C A |
| MADHAVRAO SCINDIA AWARD – HIGHEST SCORER IN THE RANJI TROPHY IN 2014-15 | ROBIN UTHAPPA OF KARNATAKA |
| MADHAVRAO SCINDIA AWARD – HIGHEST WICKET-TAKER IN THE RANJI TROPHY IN 2014-15 | R VINAYKUMAR OF KARNATAKA |
| MADHAVRAO SCINDIA AWARD – HIGHEST WICKET-TAKER IN THE RANJI TROPHY IN 2014-15 | SHARDUL THAKUR OF MUMBAI |
| M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST UNDER-23 CRICKETER OF 2014-15 | ALMAS SHAUKAT OF UTTARPRADESH |
| M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST UNDER-19 CRICKETER OF 2014-15 | ANMOLPREET SINGH OF PUNJAB |
| M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST UNDER-16 CRICKETER OF 2014-15 | SHUBMAN GILL OF PUNJAB |
| M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST WOMAN CRICKETER (SR) OF 2014-15 | MITHALI RAJ OF RAILWAYS |
| M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST WOMAN CRICKETER (JR) OF 2014-15 | DEVIKA VAIDYA OF MAHARASHTRA |
| BEST UMPIRE IN DOMESTIC CRICKET IN 2014-15 | O NANDAN |
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE IN 2014-15:
KARNATAKA STATE CRICKET ASSOCIATION – 14 POINTS
