Sanju Samson, who was dropped early on, will burst into the T20 World Cup player race

Sanju Samson’s T20 World Cup story has quickly turned into one of the most impressive twists of the tournament. The Indian batsman, who started the competition outside the playing eleven, has now made it to the ICC shortlist for the player of the tournament.

Samson’s rise in the race is particularly notable given that he has only played four games in the competition so far. Yet in that short window, the right-hander has amassed 232 runs at an average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73, making him one of the most devastating batsmen in the tournament.

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IND vs ENG T20 WORLD CUP 2026: MAIN | SCORECARD

The ICC on Friday announced the eight-member nomination for the award, which includes England’s Will Jacks, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan, South African duo Lungi Ngidi and Aiden Markram, New Zealand pair Rachin Ravindra and Tim Seifert and American pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk.

Player nominated for the tournament

Sanju Samson (India): 232 runs in 4 matches, Avg 77.33, SR 201.73
Will Jacks (England): 226 runs, 9 wickets in 8 matches
Sahibzada Farhan (Pakistan): 383 runs in 7 matches, average 76.60
Lungi Ngidi (South Africa): 12 goals in 7 matches, Econ 7.19
Aiden Markram (South Africa): 286 runs and 1 wicket in 8 matches
Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand): 128 runs and 11 wickets in 8 matches
Shadley van Schalkwyk (USA): 13 wickets in 4 matches, Econ 6.80
Tim Seifert (New Zealand): 274 runs in 8 matches, average 45.66

Samson’s presence among the nominees stands out not only because of the numbers, but also because of how quickly he made an impact. After spending the opening phase of the tournament on the bench, the opener grabbed his chance and immediately when his team needed him.

HOW SANJU SAMSON REDEEMED HIMSELF

Samson’s presence in the shortlist is remarkable considering how his tournament started watching from the sidelines. Despite entering the World Cup in good form, India initially opted to open the matches with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan during the group stage matches against the USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands.

His only appearance in the group stage came against Namibia when Abhishek missed the match due to illness. Even then, Samson did not immediately cement his place as India were again without him in the Super Eight opener against South Africa, a match that also handed India their first defeat of the tournament.

But once India turned back to Samson, the opener wasted little time he reminded everyone why they belong there in the first place.

First, he produced a stunning unbeaten 97 off 50 balls in the must-win Super Eight clash against West Indies, guiding India to a decisive five-wicket victory. Then came the semi-final, where Samson dialed things up again with a brilliant 89 off just 42 balls against England, helping India amass 253 for 7, the highest total recorded in a T20 World Cup knockout match.

England came perilously close to the chase thanks to Jacob Bethell’s 105, but India held their nerve to seal a dramatic seven-run win and book a place in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.

With 232 runs in just four matches at an average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73, Samson has turned into one of the biggest players of the tournament in record time.

And if the Indian opener delivers another big knock in the final against New Zealand, he could go from being knocked out at the start of the tournament to finishing it as one of the favorites to win the Player of the Tournament award.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

06 March 2026 14:29 IST

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