Jay Shah with ICC T29 World Cup trophy and Gautam Gambhir. Image Credits: X
As the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final is on its way to be played between India national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team on March 8, the International Cricket Council has revealed the list of players nominated for the T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament.
The apex cricket council has revealed eight names for the prestigious award, which includes one Indian and one Pakistan player, despite the latter having an exit from the Super 8 stage of the tournament. Notably, Sanju Samson from India has been named as one of the nominees for his outstanding display throughout the tournament.
Alongside Sanju Samson, players like Will Jacks, Lungi Ngidi, and South Africa skipper Aiden Markram have also been named on the prestigious list. Let's take a look at all of the players who were nominated for the award.
All-Rounders Get Priority in ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Player Of The Tournament
England's star all-rounder Will Jacks has been named one of the nominees for the Player of the Tournament award.
For the unaware, the Player of the Tournament award is given to the player who has made the most impact in a series or a tournament, irrespective of which players from which teams are playing the finale. Hence, Jacks, who has 226 runs and 9 wickets from his 8 appearances, is one of the strongest contenders to win the title.
Although Will Jacks was dropped down the batting order, he played the role of a finisher for England national cricket team with perfection to boast a strike rate of 176.56. He helped England recover against Italy national cricket team from 105 for 5 to 202 for 7 with his unbeaten 53 off 22 balls.
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With the ball too, his best figures of the tournament account for 3 for 22 against Sri Lanka, where he ran through the middle order to help England win a crucial game.
Rachin Ravindra from New Zealand national cricket team also proved valuable with the ball as well as significantly helpful with the bat. The big-hitting batter was considerably silent throughout the tournament with 128 runs but picked up 11 wickets.
He scored 32 runs and also bagged four wickets for just 27 runs in the crucial clash against Sri Lanka to help New Zealand secure a big win. Against England too, Ravindra finished with 3 for 19, although in a losing effort.
Top-order Hitters Headlined by Sanju Samson and Sahibzada Farhan
Among the batters, India's Sanju Samson has been nominated for the prestigious ICC Player of the Tournament award. He has 232 runs from four matches at an average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73.
Samson played back-to-back match-winning performances where his unbeaten 97 from 50 in a crucial Super Eight clash against West Indies cricket team delivered India a win and also boosted India to the final after a 42-ball 89 against England at the Wankhede Stadium.
A not-so-surprising inclusion was Pakistan's top-order batter Sahibzada Farhan, who is also the highest run-scorer of the tournament currently with 383 runs from his seven appearances. Farhan averages 76.63 with a strike rate of 160.25, even though the Men in Green had an early exit from the tournament.
Notably, Farhan also became the first player to score two centuries in a single edition of the World Cup, as he scored a hundred against Sri Lanka national cricket team as well as against Namibia national cricket team. With Farhan's inclusion, it will be interesting to see if the prestigious award goes to either one of these India or Pakistan players.
Another one on the list is the South African skipper himself, Aiden Markram, who was promoted up the order in this edition to open and amassed 286 runs from his 8 appearances.
His heroics count against the Black Caps, which helped South Africa chase down 176 runs with his unbeaten 86. Notably, he also took the crucial wicket of Ishan Kishan in the India clash, which South Africa comfortably won by 76 runs.
Last but not least, Tim Seifert, the firebrand New Zealand opener, managed to get a nomination too, where he has 274 runs at an average of 45.66 from his 8 appearances.
Seifert's 58 against South Africa national cricket team in the semi-finals will be a knock to remember, since it propelled the Kiwis to the finale. On multiple occasions, Seifert combined with Finn Allen for massive partnerships that helped New Zealand post big totals by the end of 20 overs.
Bowlers Cap Off Nominees
Lungi Ngidi from South Africa boasts 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.19 from his 7 appearances. One of the key members of South Africa's pace battery was consistent throughout the T20 World Cup 2026.
He started with immediate impact with a four-wicket haul against Canada national cricket team and then followed it up with a 3 for 26 against Afghanistan, a match that saw the epic two Super Overs.
Amidst the pacer nominees, a surprising inclusion was Shadley van Schalkwyk from the United States national cricket team, who played just four matches but took 13 wickets at an economy rate of 6.80.
He is currently the highest wicket-taker of the tournament, setting a benchmark for bowlers in this T20 World Cup. Van Schalkwyk began his tournament with a four-wicket haul against India, and in the next match against Pakistan national cricket team, the pacer again returned with solid figures of 4 for 25 to earn his place in this prestigious ICC award.
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