Sanju Samson of India (ANI Photo) Sanju Samson capped off a remarkable campaign at the 2026 Men’s World T20 Cup by winning the Player of the Tournament award after playing a crucial role in India’s national cricket team’s title win.Samson finished the tournament with 321 runs, a remarkable achievement considering he played only five matches in the competition. The 31-year-old was not part of India’s XI at the start of the tournament and was drafted into the side after India’s loss to the South African national cricket team. From that point on, the batsman created a series of winning matches.
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His campaign was highlighted by three consecutive half-centuries at the most important stages of the tournament. Samson first played a brilliant unbeaten 97 against the West Indies cricket team in the virtual quarter-final to lead India to victory in a thrilling chase. He followed this up with 89 in the semi-final against the England national cricket team and then hit another 89 in the final against the New Zealand national cricket team.The Indian batsman also broke several records during the tournament. Samson smashed 24 sixes, the most by any player in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. His 89 in the final is now the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup final, surpassing Marlon Samuels’ 85 not out in 2016 and Kane Williamson’s 85 in 2021.Samson’s tally of 321 runs is also the highest by an Indian batsman in a single T20 World Cup, surpassing Virat Kohli’s record of 319 runs set during the 2014 tournament.His consistency has also placed him in an elite group of players who have scored half-centuries in both the semi-finals and finals of the T20 World Cup. Only Shahid Afridi in 2009 and Virat Kohli in 2014 had achieved this feat before Samson.After receiving the award, Samson reflected on the journey that led to the defining tournament of his career.“I feel like a dream. Very happy and grateful. No words, no emotions. (On his 53rd, thought process) To be honest, it started two years ago. When I was in the 2024 World Cup team, where I did not play, I kept imagining, I continued to work and this is exactly what I wanted to do. And after the NZ series, I was completely broken, my god’s dreams were completely different. And I was rewarded for having the courage dream. Many former players reached out to me and tried to help me.”“I have been in constant contact with Sachin for the last few months sir. I have reached out to him and had big big conversations with him. To get advice from someone like him, what more can you ask for? I am very thankful for everyone who has supported me. (What more does he want to achieve?) That in itself is very big for me, I want to enjoy it now and then after a few days I will find out what else to do.”
