T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament List: Player of the Series of Every Edition So Far

Virat Kohli and Shahid Afridi among star names to win the T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament award

The T20 World Cup is organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and is held once every two years or a year since the inaugural edition in 2007.

As it stands, the T20 World Cup has been held seven times, hosted by seven different countries so far, crowning six different champions with West Indies winning the title twice in 2012 and 2016.

The inaugural edition in 2007 was won by MS Dhoni-led Team India, while the runners up in the first edition, Pakistan redeemed themselves to clinch the title in the next edition in 2009.

T20 World Cup: Highest Run-Scorers to Highest Wicket-Takers – Top Performers of Every Edition Since 2007 T20 World Cup: Highest Run-Scorers to Highest Wicket-Takers – Top Performers of Every Edition Since 2007

The 2010 edition was won by England, while Sri Lanka won the cup in 2014 and Australia were crowned the champions most recently in 2021.

Over the years, we have witnessed some marquee performances that have helped their teams progress in the show-piece event, which has also seen the consistent players rewarded with the Player of the Tournament award.

In the seven editions so far, there have been six different Player of the Tournament winners with star India batter Virat Kohli winning it twice. Also, there has been only two occasions when the Player of the Tournament was from the champions.

Plus, among the seven Player of the Tournament award winners, only one was rewarded for a bowling performance and one for all-round performance, while five were given the award for their batting displays.

Here is a look at the T20 World Cup Player of The Tournament so far from 2007 to 2021:

2021 – David Warner (Australia)

The dashing opener smashed 289 runs, including three fifties, in seven matches to finish the 2021 tournament as the second-highest run-scorer after Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. Warner scored his runs at an average of 48.16 and a strike rate of 146.70.

Warner was one of the two players to have won the award representing the champions. He also scored a fifty in the final to help Australia chase down a target of 173 set by New Zealand. The victory also meant Australia lifted their maiden T20 World Cup trophy.

2016 – Virat Kohli (India)

The star India batter became the first player in T20 World Cup history to win the Player of the Tournament award twice and also for the second edition in a row. Kohli scored 273 runs in five matches in 2016, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer behind Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal.

He also smashed the most fours (29) in that edition, scoring three half-centuries and got his runs at an incredible average of 136.50 and a strike rate of 146.77. The highlight of his outing was unbeaten 89 vs West Indies and 82 vs Australia. However, India bowed out in the semifinal that year after defeat to eventual champions West Indies.

2014 – Virat Kohli (India)

The Indian batter won his first player of the tournament award in 2014, when he scored 319 runs (the most in a single edition) in six innings at an average of 106.33 and a strike rate of 129.14. He scored four half centuries in the tournament, but India failed to clinch their second T20 World Cup trophy as they lost to Sri Lanka in the final.

2012 – Shane Watson (Australia)

The Australian all-rounder was at his prime in 2012, finishing as the top run-scorer after amassing 249 runs in six matches at an average of 49.80 and a strike rate of 150. He also scored three half-centuries in the tournament.

Watson also starred with the ball finishing the second-highest wicket-taker as he bagged 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.83 with the best of 3/26. However, Australia could only manage to reach the semifinals, where they were defeated by eventual champions West Indies.

2010 – Kevin Pietersen (England)

The England batter was the first of the two players to win the Player of the Tournament and also lift the World Cup at the end of the tournament in 2010, when he scored 248 runs, the second most in the edition, at an average of 62.00 and a strike rate of 137.77.

Pietersen scored two fifties in the tournament and also scored a crucial 47 off 31 balls as England defeated Australia in the final and went on to lift their maiden World Cup in any format.

2009 – Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka)

The Sri Lankan all-rounder finished the 2009 tournament as the leading run-scorer with 317 runs in 7 matches at an average of 52.83 and a strike rate of 144.74. He also scored three half-centuries, including an unbeaten 96 against West Indies in the semifinal.

His performance took Lanka to the final. However, He fell for a duck and Sri Lanka came up short in the summit clash, where they suffered an 8-wicket loss to Asian rivals Pakistan at the Home of Cricket - Lord's.

2007 – Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

The Pakistan all-rounder was made for the shortest format thanks to his aggressive style of play with both bat and ball, but his performance could only help his country to a runners up finish with their arch-rivals India winning the inaugural edition in 2007.

Afridi won the first-ever Player of the Tournament award in T20 World Cup history after he bagged 12 wickets, the fourth highest in the tournament, at an economy rate of 6.71 with the best of 4 for 19. He also scored 91 runs at a strike rate of 197.82 with highest score being 46.