Who Has the Most T20 Player-of-the-Match Awards? A Ranking

SB Market Index: How We Evaluate T20’s Greatest Match-Winners

Our evaluation combined a statistical analysis of their T20 Player-of-the-Match awards with expert and media perception of their overall impact to provide a comprehensive ranking. This initiated the ‘SB Market Index’, a trusted model where the results were scrutinised to maximise the accuracy and fairness of the results.

The Elite Tier: Raza, Yadav, Kohli, Nabi, and Sharma

Sikandar Raza’s all-round stats propelled him to the top of our standings. He became Zimbabwe’s T20 captain aged 37, but he was an effective leg spinner, and contributed plenty with the bat. 17 Player-of-the-Match awards pay testament to this, and he carried plenty of favour with the media experts.

The Virat Kohli vs Suryakumar Yadav T20 stats made for interesting reading. Kholi, who possesses the most T20 scores of 50+, was an undisputed T20 run machine, and he had an enviable cover drive. Yadav, meanwhile, made batting look easy at times, and he had a brilliant conversion rate of awards collected per match (0.183). Kohli and Yadav’s stunning displays were backed by strong ‘SB Scores’ and ‘Industry Insight’ ratings.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Nabi and Rohit Sharma’s T20 awards spoke volumes about the types of players they were for Afghanistan and India respectively. Indeed, Sharma was one of the best openers in T20 cricket. They were invariably difference makers and their perfect ‘Industry Insights’ markets reflected this.

The Statistical Kings from Associate Nations

Statistically speaking, Virandeep Singh’s T20 record was sublime with 22 awards picked up from 102 T20 outings, and he bagged over 3,000 runs in that format. His top score of 116 not out demonstrated the damage he could do with the bat, while Sami Sohail was also prolific in picking up Player-of-the-Match awards.

As both players turned out for Associate Nations, their lack of global exposure meant they failed to generate as much attention from the media experts despite their strong ‘SB Scores’ recorded.

The Divide: Global Profile vs. Statistical Frequency

There is a serious chasm between Associate cricket match-winners and players whose countries have attained Full Membership status by the ICC. Inevitably, there has been more recognition for the stars who play for sides that compete on a bigger stage, while players aligned with Associate nations won’t receive as much exposure, often flying under the radar.

While the statistics of Associate T20 stars were phenomenal, given the Player-of-the-Match awards they won, praise wasn’t lavished on them like it was for Kohli and his peers.