Jemimah Rodrigues & Amol Muzumdar at IISM’s Degree Distribution Ceremony 2026
International Institute of Sports & Management – IISM held its 15th Degree Distribution Ceremony to celebrate the Class of 2025 who were conferred with their well-earned degrees. It was an enthralling event where students from our Bachelor of Sports Management (BSM), Master of Sports Management (MSM), Postgraduate Programme in Spors Management (PGPSM) cohorts along with proud parents enjoyed the moments amid a whole lot of nostalgia & hopes for a bright future.
Apart from them, even many of the stalwarts, sports experts & business leaders from IISM’s industry network graced this event. Although, the ceremony was headlined by the presence of Chief Guests, Ms. Jemimah Rodrigues — Indian Women Cricketer & 2025 ODI World Cup Winner and Mr. Amol Muzumdar — 2025 ODI World Cup-winning Head Coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team.
IISM’s 15th Degree Distribution Ceremony – Class of 2025
The ceremony commenced with the traditional academic procession led by IISM’s Founder-Director, Mr. Nilesh Kulkarni; Co-Founder & Managing Director, Ms. Rasika Kulkarni who were accompanied by our Chief Guests, Ms. Jemimah Rodrigues and Mr. Amol Muzumdar.
IISM Chief Guests and Dignitaries standing for the National Anthem
We were also happy to have Director of the Garware Institute of Career Education & Development (GICED), Dr. Keyurkumar Nayak among the dignitaries who graced the event. And it was IISM’s Associate Dean, Mr. Amitava Pal and Head of Academics, Ms. Avanti Desai — with IISM’s flags in their hands — led everyone including Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Amit Gupte and IISM’s distinguished faculty to the dias. Following the procession, both chief guests along with our founders did the lamp lighting to commence the Degree Distribution Ceremony.
Jemimah Rodrigues Felicitated by Mr Nilesh Kulkarni
Our Founder-Director, Mr. Kulkarni felicitated Ms. Rodrigues & Mr. Muzumdar respectively with a frame of the Indian tricolor & an exclusive memento — 1983 World Cup Commemorative Medallion Collection. Now, each of these collections had a unique serial number, making it truly personal & unforgettable. Mr. Muzumdar was honoured with the serial number 260 — his record debut innings, meanwhile, Ms. Rodrigues got the serial number 127 — her headline knock of 127 not out in the 2025 World Cup semi-final!
Amol Muzumdar Felicitated by Mr Nilesh Kulkarni
Words of Wisdom by Nilesh Kulkarni
Mr. Kulkarni took the stage to address our young graduates & gave them some invaluable advice before they step into the industry. Reflecting on his immense on-field & life experiences, he stated how one needs to have several low ‘lows’ to achieve some really high ‘highs’.
“Be a student throughout your life, understand the situation better.
Sports always teaches us preparation is always important. If preparation is good, your execution becomes much easier!“
It was quite a thought-provoking address by Mr. Kulkarni as always, but he left the door open for our Chief Guests to hit it out of the park with their inspiring words for our graduates.
Reflections from our Chief Guest Jemimah Rodrigues
Ms. Rodrigues spoke in the most candid manner to our graduates, reflecting on her setbacks & successes throughout her sporting journey. From debuting in South Africa at the age of 17, grinding with U12 boys in the maidaans of Mumbai after getting dropped from the 2022 ODI World Cup squad to her redemption arc in the 2025 ODI World Cup held in India, she drew some beautiful learnings from all her experiences!
She stated how her family was right behind her as she went out of her comfort zone to challenge herself, prepping to become a mainstay in the Indian team. And eventually, her time in the 2025 ODI World Cup. Throughout the tournament, she was often moved along the batting order as a floater & even rested for a game, which she mentioned crushed her on the inside! But Jemimah mentioned that these setbacks were the time when she learned & grew.
“It’s in the lows that you actually learn, because He has better plans & He will make everything beautiful at the right time!“
The Indian top order batter beautifully summarized her journey to date, joking, laughing & reflecting to inspire our entire 2025 batch and also got a standing ovation from the audience. She concluded with her favorite actor Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic dialogue:
“Life mein filmon ki tarah, ant mein sab theek ho jaata hai… aur agar theek na ho, toh woh ant nahi hai,
Kyunki picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost.”
Inspiring Words by our Chief Guest Amol Muzumdar
Having played with Nilesh Kulkarni as a friend & teammate for Mumbai, Mr. Muzumdar delved into his days of being the skipper for the Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. He narrated an awesome story of how his team were 5 wickets down for the score of 0 in the semi-final game against Baroda in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy season.
And from that stage of being 0/5, they grinded out the victory to still win by 63 runs. This is what Mr. Muzumdar summarized in his addressed to our graduates.
“Wins are not always how you plan, games are not always fair but the response to that moment is your career, it’s your character.”
From not getting the opportunity to play for India at the international level to being the integral pillar of the Indian Women’s team winning the 2025 ODI World Cup — Mr. Muzumdar has had a career trajectory full of ups & downs. But that’s what has shaped him and he left our graduates with one thought:
“Find your success formula and stick with it, you will be standing on this podium and speaking with the next generation of graduates.”
Degree Distribution & Felicitations
Post these ceremonial addresses, all the students of BSM, MSM & PGPSM cohorts received their degrees. Our Chief Guests Ms. Rodrigues & Mr. Muzumdar first felicitated the toppers from each cohort:
Bachelor of Sports Management – BSM Toppers
1st – Shourjo Majumder
2nd – Ritvik Wadhwani
3rd – Saaz Tandel
IISM Degree Distribution Ceremony for BSM Batch 2025
Master of Sports Management – MSM Toppers
1st – Ameya Uparkar
2nd – Namya Jain
3rd – Mrunmayee Joshi
IISM Degree Distribution Ceremony for MSM Batch 2025
Postgraduate Programme in Sports Management – PGPSM Toppers
1st – Yamini Chhajer
2nd – Pawan Kanojia
3rd – Pranali Pisolkar
IISM Degree Distribution Ceremony for PGP Batch 2026
And post the degree distribution for the entire batch of 2025, IISM’s faculty was felicitated by the hands of Ms. Rodrigues & Mr. Muzumdar. Even IISM’s corporate partners from various walks of the sports industry were present & got felicitated for their contribution towards grooming these students over the course of their journey at IISM.
A special memento was given to the North Stand gang — one of the famous fan clubs & cheering groups at the Wankhede Stadium. And they galvanized the atmosphere with a loud cheer on stage for Ms Rodrigues & Mr Muzumdar!
An Event Filled with Nostalgia, Fun & Friends
Students had an amazing time as it was effectively the last day they caught up with each other as a batch. Team IISM had set up an Instant Photo Booth at the venue, where plenty of students & their parents clicked pictures to capture these eternally memorable moments of their graduation day! From friend groups to families with their sons & daughters, almost every graduating student got their instant photographs captured throughout the event.
An instant photo booth turned graduation day into memories students and families can hold forever
Many students met their beloved faculty & reminisced about the old days at the IISM campus, those interactive lectures, the fun & games during live projects. Parents also thanked the faculty for their immense contribution & guidance in their wards’ career development.
And that’s how IISM’s 15th Degree Distribution Ceremony unfolded as students, parents along with the entire team of IISM & our Chief Guests enjoyed a fresh breath of fun & nostalgia with hopes of seeing more such batches graduating with utmost enthusiasm!
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