India and New Zealand are facing off for the T20 World Cup final on Sunday, both propelled to the championship game by some strong individual performances.
As the teams aim to bring home the trophy, there will also be plenty of attention on which star earns Player of the Match honors. India are trying to win a second straight World Cup, and will have a new Player of the Match if they do.
The full list of T20 World Cup Players of the Match leans heavily to India, who are trying to become the most successful country in the 19-year history of the tournament.
Full List of T20 World Cup Player of the Match Winners for India and New Zealand
Here is the full list of T20 World Cup Player of the Match winners, including a recent star for the Men in Blue as India try to win a second in a row:
- 2007: Irfan Pathan, India
- 2009: Shahid Afridi, Pakistan
- 2010: Craig Kieswetter, England
- 2012: Marlon Samuels, West Indies
- 2014: Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka
- 2016: Marlon Samuels, West Indies
- 2021: Mitchell Marsh, Australia
- 2022: Sam Curran, England
- 2024: Virat Kohli, India
- 2026: Sanju Samson, India
This year’s T20 World Cup Player of the Match voting is open at the official site of the ICC. Full voting results for the Player of the Match can be found here.
Strong Candidates for T20 World Cup Player of the Match
For the Indian side, opener Sanju Samson has been one of the strongest performers, earning Player of the Match honors for both their Super 8 clinching win and semifinal victory over England to send them into the T20 World Cup final.
Samson could be a strong bet to win Player of the Match if India prevail in the T20 World Cup final. Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin predicts a big performance from the opener for the Men in Blue.
“Earlier, I manifested that Samson would finish the World Cup with three centuries. He got 97 in the first game, 89 in the next,” Ashwin said, via Gulf News. “Now, I think one century would be enough. He didn’t have a great bilateral series against New Zealand, though,” said the 39-year-old.”
T20 Cricket World Cup Final Player of the Match: Full List of Winners