Former Indian batter and World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth has picked five most eligible contenders for the Player of the Tournament in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 from a wide pool of stunning performers.
The ICC T20 World Cup has reached its twilight as the teams have reached the semis, and some are contending for the final spots left. England and South Africa are both through to the semi-finals, while the likes of India or the West Indies and New Zealand or Pakistan would be joining them in the knockouts.
With just a handful of games left for the teams, former Indian great Kris Srikkanth has dropped his opinion on who could bag the Player of the Tournament award in the competition based on their performances in this edition.
It’ll depend on the semi-final and final- Kris Srikkanth predicts POTS winners
Former team India skipper Kris Srikkanth was asked to pick five contenders from the remaining players in the sides who can qualify for the next stage of the competition. The former Indian great picked South African captain Aiden Markram and English all-rounder Will Jacks as his two best contenders after much scrutiny.
The choice doesn’t seem unreasonable, especially after the way Aiden Markram has batted for South Africa in this T20 World Cup. Moreover, his captaincy has been so impressive, and he has also proven to be effective with the ball in hand from time to time.
“It is between Aiden Markram and Will Jacks. It’ll depend on the semi-final and final. That’ll matter a lot,” Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. The same follows for Will Jacks, who has been crowned the Player of the Match in four out of five games England won in this World Cup.
Not Jasprit Bumrah, this Indian player is a contender for POTS in the ICC T20 World Cup
The last time the ICC T20 World Cup was played, India emerged as the champions, and it was pacer Jasprit Bumrah who was crowned the Player of the Tournament in 2024 for having picked 15 wickets. However, Bumrah’s form has been kept low this time around.
Varun Chakravarthy has been India’s best T20I bowler ever since the last World Cup win in 2024, and the no. 1 bowler has picked 11 scalps this season and is the next likely contender on Srikkanth’s list.
He has also backed the South African inform pacer Lungi Ngidi and New Zealand all-rounder skipper Mitchell Santner as the two others who follow them in the list. Ngidi is undoubtedly having a dream World Cup.
“Varun Chakaravarthy has a chance to an extent, especially if he gets another couple of Player of the Matches. Ngidi will be another strong contender. Santner is another one who has been doing brilliantly,” he added.
How did Srikkanth’s Top 5 perform in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026
While Will Jacks seems the best contender as of now, if England could qualify for the final or go on to win it this season. Jacks has been productive for England with 191 runs off the bat despite coming in the lower order and 7 wickets with the ball. He has been England’s staunch match-winner.
On the other hand, Aiden Markram has amassed 264 runs in the World Cup and is the highest scorer in this World Cup. He is currently averaging 66 and has batted with a strike rate of 178.36. Varun Chakravarthy, the spin maverick, has 11 scalps to his name, the same as Lungi Ngidi; however, Ngidi’s economy has troubled the batters more.
Lastly, the New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has led by example, often coming to his team’s rescue when they needed him to. Santner averages 38 with the bat and a strike rate of 157.14 and an economy of 6.35.
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