In 2026, 70 umpires were active during the season

During an enjoyable evening, attended by half of all active umpires, 16 umpires received their cap. Four of those present passed the milestone of 20 matches this season. Particularly noteworthy, two of them only started umpiring this year.
Caps with 1 star (100+ matches): 5
Caps with 2 stars (200+ matches): 2
Caps with 3 stars (300+ matches): 2
Caps with 5 stars (100+ matches): 2
The cap ceremony concluded on a fitting note with the presentation of a seven-star cap to Rob Mahabier, who has now officiated in an impressive 754 matches. Thirteen other umpires who also qualified for a cap were unfortunately unable to attend. They will receive their cap at next year’s end-of-season gathering.

As High Performance did not organise any home matches for the senior national teams (U19 and above) in 2026, no medals could be presented this year to the umpires who officiated in these matches. Hopefully, next season’s programme will once again provide plenty of opportunities to recognise these achievements.

Growth also continued internationally. The number of appointments during international series and tournaments increased significantly: while we were asked to provide umpires for two series in 2023, this had risen to twelve by 2026. Nitin Bathi completed five of these appointments, with the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 in Zimbabwe and Namibia as the highlight. Rizwan Akram also completed five appointments, most notably at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Global Qualifier. Maulik Prabhudesai represented the KNCB at two ICC Pathway Events in Europe. All three umpires performed exceptionally well and were outstanding ambassadors for the KNCB.

Several umpires were also recognised for their contribution to the Dutch competition. Shiv Shankar Pandit (non-IROP) and Jnanesh Kolli (IROP) were the most active umpires this season, each officiating in no fewer than 57 matches.

The umpires also cast their votes for the Umpire’s Umpire award. This year’s vote ended in a tie, with both Adwait Deshpande and Shailesh Shetty receiving the honour.

The evening also included a moment to mark Adriaan van den Dries’s departure as the KNCB’s Umpire Development Officer. 
After threeintensive years, the time has come for him to take the next step and pass on the whistle. The coming period will include the season in South Africa and an ICC course in Manila. He will then continue his work as an ICC Master Educator, supporting the rollout of the ICC Umpire Level 2 course. The course focuses on the further development of umpires from Associate Members who are appointed by their countries to officiate in T20I matches.

The evening concluded with the presentation of the two main awards.

Bhavesh Arya received the Most Promising Umpire award in recognition of his commitment and the progress he has made over the past year. 

Maulik Prabhudesai had the honour of having his name added to the silverware and can now call himself Match Official of the Year 2026. The award is fitting recognition of his many years of commitment and the strong performances he delivered once again in 2026. In doing so, he showed resilience following the disappointment caused by the unexpected changes to the ICC Development Panel shortly before the start of the season.

If you want to attend this meeting next year, on the KNCB website you can read how to become an umpire: KNCB