Samson, Bumrah Among ICC Men’s Player of The Month Nominees For March 2026
New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the Men’s Player of the Month nominees for March 2026.
According to the ICC website, two Indian heroes from the T20 World Cup triumph, Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah, along with Proteas’ rising star Connor Esterhuizen, are in contention for the monthly prize in March 2026.
Sanju Samson (India)
Samson might not be part of the playing XI for India in the early stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, but he put in the best performance of his life on the world stage after his inclusion.
His 97* against the Windies in a must-win Super 8 match, followed by scores of 89 against England in the semi-final and against New Zealand in the crucial final, not only ensured India retained the T20I crown but also earned Samson the Player of the Tournament award.
In the three crucial T20Is he was a part of in March 2026, Samson scored 275 runs at a staggering average of 137.50 and a stunning strike rate of 199.27.
The opener’s stupendous performance at the global event earned him back-to-back Player of the Match awards along with a place in the top 20 of the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings.
Jasprit Bumrah (India)
India’s bowling star Jasprit Bumrah once again showed his importance in the knockout stages of a major tournament as he helped the hosts lift the coveted T20 World Cup trophy on March 8.
Bumrah, who has been outstanding throughout the tournament, picked up two wickets in the Super 8 match against the West Indies, which included the scalp of in-form Shimron Hetmyer.
India’s bowler then put up a riveting performance against England in the semi-final, in a match where every bowler scored more than 9.50 runs per over.
Bumrah, who made just eight and six runs in the 16th and 18th overs respectively, was the difference-maker with bowling figures of 4-0-33-1, while the English eventually trailed by just seven runs to chase 253.
The specialist yorker followed this with a four-wicket haul, conceding just 15 runs in his four overs in the final against the Black Caps and was awarded Player of the Match.
Connor Esterhuizen (South Africa)
Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman Connor Esterhuizen had an impressive first T20I series against New Zealand, scoring 200 runs in five matches at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of 145.98.
After a terrific SA20 season, Esterhuizen began his international career with 45* in T20Is and also made his first fifty in the shortest format in the fourth match of the series, scoring 57 off 33 deliveries to be declared the Player of the Match.
Esterhuizen not only finished the series as the leading run-getter but also made 75 off 33 deliveries in the decisive fifth T20I to help South Africa level the series 3-2 and collect his second Player of the Match award in as many games.
