On April 5, the International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed the nominees for the Player of the Month for March 2026. In a notable move, the men’s list saw ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament Sanju Samson feature along with star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah and rising Protea star Connor Esterhuizen. The bowling linchpin of the T20 World Champions, Bumrah, found himself after his match-winning spell of 4/15 in the finale against New Zealand.
Bumrah, who has stood up for India in key matches, rose to the ranks during the knockout stages. While he picked up two wickets in the Super 8 clash against the West Indies, he was the point of difference in India’s 7-run win against England in the semifinal, followed by a stupendous performance in the summit clash.
Samson joins Bumrah in the ICC Men’s POTM nominees list
Bumrah has been joined by wicketkeeper-batter Samson. Although Samson did not feature in the initial matches of the marquee tournament, he scored a match-winning, unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in the Super 8 clash, followed by a 42-ball 89 in the semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium. In the summit clash in Ahmedabad, the 31-year-old once again showed his prowess at the top of the order as he scored 89 off 46 deliveries at a striking rate of 193.48, along with a well-made 50 by Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan as India posted 255/5.
In the three key matches in March 2026, the Kerala-born amassed 275 runs at an average of 137.50 and a strike rate of 199.27. This not only got him the Player of the Tournament award but also saw him rise 20 spots in the T20 Men’s Batting Rankings.
The Indian duo has been joined by the Protean wicketkeeper-batter, who has an impressive debut, where he scored 200 runs in 5 games, averaging 50. Featuring in the Xi against New Zealand, Esterhuizen registered scores of 45*, 8, 15, 57 and 75 across the five T20Is and finished as the Player of the Series with South Africa claiming it by a 3-2 margin.
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