India played against New Zealand in the final of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the Men in Blue lit up the field with one-sided dominance as they defeated the BlackCaps by 96 runs. Both Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah were the top performers for India – Samson scored 89 runs in the final while Bumrah took 4 crucial wickets.
Bumrah completely dismantled New Zealand’s batting lineup as he did not let any batter form a stable partnership. After the match concluded, Samson was named as the Player of the Tournament. But former South Africa batter was of the opinion that Bumrah should’ve received the award instead of Samson.
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“It was a really, really close call between Sanju Samson and Bumrah. Why I mention Bumrah? Well was the top wicket-taker, and so he was pushing for the Player of the Tournament. But to me, there were pivotal moments and pivotal overs that he bowled that I felt like maybe he deserved more of a mention there. It should have been closer,” said AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel.
“But anyway, Sanju Samson – what a tournament he had! He made the most of it. It’s not easy to bowl as a fast bowler in India unless you are Jasprit Bumrah. Even he was expensive in a couple of his overs during the tournament.
“But when it mattered most in the semifinal and final, he bowled insane overs. I’ve never seen anything like it. He is hittable, but when it matters, there is a different gear this guy hits, and he goes to a different planet. An incredible performer and an asset to cricket in India.”
Bumrah’s dominant performance also set his name in the record books where he became the most successful pacer in the history of T20 World Cup, surpassing Lasith Mailnga. The ace-pacer is now the 5th highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history while Shakib Al Hassan continues to sit at number one with 50 wickets in 43 matches.
