Former Indian batsman and World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth has selected the five most deserving contenders for Player of the Tournament in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 from among the players who have performed brilliantly.
The ICC T20 World Cup has reached its final stages as teams have reached the semi-finals and are competing for the few remaining final spots. England and South Africa have both reached the semi-finals, while the likes of India or West Indies and New Zealand or Pakistan will join them in the knockouts.
With just a few games left for the teams, former Indian great Kris Srikkanth has dropped his opinion on who can get the Player of the Tournament award in the competition based on their performances in this edition.
It will depend on the semi-finals and final – Kris Srikkanth predicts POTS winners
Former Team India captain Kris Srikkanth was asked to choose five contenders from the remaining players who can qualify for the next stage of the competition. The former Indian great, after much scrutiny, chose South African captain Aiden Markram and English all-rounder Will Jacks as his two best contenders.
This selection doesn’t seem unfair, especially given the way Aiden Markram has batted for South Africa in this T20 World Cup. Furthermore, his captaincy has been very impressive, and he has also proven effective with the ball in hand from time to time.
“It’s between Aiden Markram and Will Jacques. It will depend on the semi-finals and the final. It will matter a lot,” Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. Same is the case with Will Jacques, who has been crowned player of the match in four of the five matches won by England in this World Cup.
Not Jasprit Bumrah, this Indian player is the contender for POTS in ICC T20 World Cup!
The last time the ICC T20 World Cup was played, India emerged as champions and it was fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah who was crowned Player of the Tournament in 2024 for taking 15 wickets. However, this time Bumrah’s form has been slow.
Varun Chakravarthy has been India’s best T20I bowler since their last World Cup win in 2024, and is the number one. 1 bowler has taken 11 wickets this season and is the next possible contender on Srikkanth’s list.
He has also endorsed South Africa’s in-form pacer Lungi Ngidi and New Zealand all-round captain Mitchell Santner, the two others who follow him in the list. Ngidi is undoubtedly enjoying a dream World Cup.
“Varun Chakraborty has a chance to some extent, especially if he gets a few more player of the matches. Ngidi would be another strong contender. Santner is another player who has been performing brilliantly,” he said.
How Srikanth’s top 5 performed in ICC T20 World Cup 2026
While Will Jacks looks to be the best contender so far if England can qualify for or win the final this season. Despite coming in the lower order, Jack has performed usefully for England by taking 191 runs with the bat and 7 wickets with the ball. He has been a staunch match-winner for England.
On the other hand, Aiden Markram has scored 264 runs in the World Cup and is the highest run-scorer in this World Cup. Currently his average is 66 and he has batted at a strike rate of 178.36. Spin specialist Varun Chakravarthy has 11 wickets, the same as Lungi Ngidi; However, Ngidi’s economy has troubled the batsmen more.
Finally, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has led by example, often coming to the aid of his team whenever they are needed. Santner’s average with the bat is 38 and strike rate is 157.14 and economy is 6.35.
Also read: Former BCCI President took a big decision on Gautam Gambhir, now the responsibility of different coaching is in his hands.
