Sanju Samson has been named the Player of the Tournament after India won the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Men in Blue secured a 96-run victory over New Zealand to clinch the trophy for the third time in the history of the event. The Indian National Cricket Team posted 255 for 5 and then dismissed the Kiwis for 159 in 19 overs.
Samson hit three consecutive fifties for the co-host, playing a key role in victories over the West Indies in the Super 8 stage, England in the semi-final and New Zealand in the summit clash.
In 5 matches, he scored 321 runs at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37.
“Feels like a dream. Very happy and grateful. Out of words, out of emotions. To be honest, it started one-two years before. When I was in the 2024 World Cup team, where I didn’t play, I kept visualising, kept on working, and this was exactly what I wanted to do. After the NZ series, I was broken; my dreams were completely shattered. And I was thinking what I can do. But God had different plans. And I was rewarded for being brave enough to dream,” Samson said.
He spoke about the support from former players, especially Sachin Tendulkar.
“A lot of former players have reached out to me and tried to help me out. For the last couple of months, I have been in constant contact with Sachin sir. I reached out to him and had big, big conversations with him. Getting guidance from someone like him, what more can you ask for? I am very grateful to everyone who supported me. I want to enjoy it right now, and then after a few days, I will figure out what more to do,” he added.