Sanju Samson was not satisfied with the decision-makers’ choice of the Player of the Match in the second semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium. Samson won the POTM award for scoring 89 runs off 42 balls in India’s 7-run win, but the wicket-keeper batter stated that pacer Jasprit Bumrah was the more deserving candidate as his 18th over won the game for the defending champions.
With Jacob Bethell scoring a hundred, England were always in the game, and Suryakumar Yadav decided to give the 18th over to Bumrah. The right-arm speedster didn’t allow Bethell and Sam Curran to break free and conceded just 6 runs. He bowled Yorkers to stop the batters from hitting fours and sixes. Bumrah conceded just 33 runs from his four overs and got rid of Harry Brook.
“Jasprit Bumrah is once in a generational bowler and this award should have been given to him and not me. If he had not bowl that over, I wouldn’t have been standing in front of you,” Samson said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“I was in form from the last game, and I needed to make the most of it. I know no score is safe, and it was important to score as much as possible. We know chasing is easier over here, with the way Ishan and I were batting. We knew 250 should be possible,” he added.
“Hundred doesn’t matter as it was not a Test match or one-day international. Happy with my score as it came in a winning effort,” he concluded.