T20 World Cup: List of all the Player of the Tournament winners from the previous editions

World Cup is a stage where greats become legends. Under the lights and against quality opponents, it is never easy to keep performing under serious pressure on a consistent basis but there always are certain players who rise above that. History has told us how influential some players can be in order to help their team win the world cup. Be it Yuvraj Singh in 2011 or Glenn McGrath in 2007 or Sanath Jayasuriya in 1996, certain players became the reason behind a team’s success in the grandest stage of them all.

Now, ICC recognises these players and hands them the prestigious trophy of Player of the Tournament after every World Cup. The T20 World Cup in Australia will be no different. It is once again time for players to start their journey to the greatness. A total of six players were awarded the same in the previous seven editions and it’s time to go through their contribution and their journey to become a maestro of the game.

Past winners of the Player of the Tournament award in T20 World Cup

1. Shahid Afridi, 2007

Despite losing to India in the finals of the competition, Shahid Afridi with his sheer hard work and unbelievable power-hitting skill bagged the Player of the tournament award in 2007. The former Pakistan international also bagged 12 wickets in the tournament and was the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament. 

2. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2009

Just like Afridi in 2007, Dilshan was the tragic hero in the 2009 T20 World Cup. Despite scoring 317 runs in just 7 matches, the former Sri Lankan international failed to lift the prestigious trophy in that year. However, he did win the all-important trophy in 2014 by beating India on the night of the finals. In that tournament, Dilshan scored 132 runs in six games.

3. Kevin Pietersen, 2010

The flamboyant cricketer Kevin Pietersen set the T20 World Cup on fire with his blistering form in 2010. The former cricketer helped England win their first-ever World Cup by producing multiple match-winning performances in the tournament. With 248 runs to his name, he finished as the second-leading run-scorer of the tournament behind Mahela Jayawardene. The Englishman also played a valuable inning in the finals against Australia where he smashed 47 off 31 deliveries.

4. Shane Watson, 2012

The Aussie all-rounder arguably did everything right in the 2012 T20 World Cup but still failed to qualify for the finals of the tournament. Opening the batting, Watson smashed 249 runs and was the leading run-scorer of the tournament and with the ball, he picked up 11 wickets at an economy of 6.8. Based on his terrific performance, Watson was adjudged the Player of the competition.

5. Virat Kohli, 2014 & 2016

By the time 2014 T20 World Cup arrived, Virat Kohli had already established himself as the ‘King’ of World cricket. Whatever he touched was turning into gold but even so, he couldn’t inspire India to win their second T20 World title. With 319 runs to his name, the now 33-year-old ended as the leading run-scorer of the 2014 T20 World Cup while in 2016, he finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament. In 2014, he did everything right and helped team India to qualify for the finals but the team lost to Sri Lanka in the finals. Still being around, Kohli will definitely aim for his third Player of the Tournament award in 2022.

6. David Warner, 2021

In a tournament, where no one gave Australia a chance to do well, the Aussies arrived and played some exceptional cricket in order to win their maiden T20 World Cup. The key figure behind their success was the talisman David Warner, who smashed 289 runs in seven matches. On difficult pitches of the UAE, Warner’s impact was very much recognised and thus, was adjudged as the Player of the Series.