The eighth edition of the T20 World Cup is all set to begin from October 16 and the talks regarding which player will win the player of the tournament already catches fire.
Many superstars have proven their mettle throughout the years by playing an exceptional form of cricket, and India great Virat Kohli is one among them. Kohli has won the award twice, once in 2014 and once in 2016.
It is now time to evaluate which players have a chance of taking home the player of the tournament award at the T20 World Cup in 2022.
5. David Warner
Nobody could have predicted that Australia’s opener David Warner, who had trouble scoring runs before the marquee event, would take home the player of the Tournament award at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament’s second-highest run scorer, behind Pakistan captain Babar Azam, Warner was back to his devastating best when it counted, scoring 289 runs in seven games.
Warner hit three half-centuries during the competition and scored his runs at a strike rate of 146.70 with an average of 48.17.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021 final
The star batter also struck a half-century in the final against New Zealand to help Australia defeat the Black Caps and win their maiden T20 World Cup.
With the 2022 event is in Australia, and Warner already showing his class in the ongoing T20 series against England, the guess that he again can claim the player of the tournament is quite acceptable.
4. Adam Zampa
Zampa, who played an important role in the Australia’s first-ever victory in T20 World Cup, will be the key player for the hosts name this time too.
While everyone predicting the pitches in Australia mostly favours the pacers, Zampa can turn out to be a real X-factor for Australia due to familiar condition, plenty of experience, and fantastic record under his belt.
Performance in Australia
The leg-spinner bagged 25 wickets in 21 games he played in Australia at a clap worthy economy of 6.60. If dangerous bowlers of Australia by any chance failed to control the opposition during the powerplay overs. Zampa, holds the ability to bring his side back in game during the middle overs by restricting the batters and also picking up crucial wickets at the right time.
3. Wanindu Hasaranga
The star all-rounder of Sri Lanka, who is performing consistently well for the past couple of time is one the most-talked about player of the current generation.
Hasaranga bagged the most number of wicket in the last year’s mega event, having dismissed 16 batters in 8 games he featured in.
He is not just great in bowling, but he is a match-winner batter too, his strike-rate of 137+ plus in 2022 so far is enough to tell everybody how good he is with the bat.
Heroics in Asia Cup 2022
No one can even forgot his innings during the night of Asia Cup 2022 finals, when half of the side walked back to pavilion at just 58. He then played a fearless knock of 36 in just 21 to bring his team back in the game, and later took 3 wickets with the ball to help his side clinch their sixth Asia Cup title.
2. Mohammad Rizwan
The opening batter is known for providing strong start to his side while playing alongside skipper Babar Azam and bat deep to guide his team to their desired position most of the times.
The backbone of team Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan was rock steady during the Asia Cup 2022, hammering 281 runs in six matches at 56.20 with the help of three half-centuries.
He is the prolific run-scorer for the Pakistan team and his current form is a portrait of his calibre with the bat. Rizwan is one of those rare cricketers, who knows when to rotate strike and when to hit the ball out of the park.
Current no.1 batter in T20I rankings
The no.1 batter in T20I rankings, Rizwan is one the top contenders who can score the highest-runs in the tournament and may even bag the player of the tournament award too.
1. Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav, who made his T20 debut for India in 2021, presumably in the best shape of his life. The stylish batter proved why he was thought to be India’s top T20 batsman by playing some exceptional good innings and making his presence felt.
Yadav in his recent outing against South Africa at home, smashed two half-centuries and becoming the leading run scorer for India with 119 runs at a strike-rate of 195.08 overall. He is currently ranked no.2 in the ICC T20 rankings for batters.
His presence on the field, his confidence while batting, and his ability to play shots all over the park are all what India needed the most in the upcoming marquee event.
