The ICC Cricket World Cup is around the corner as the ODI competition is all set to kick off on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
A rematch of the 2019 World Cup final will see reigning champions England taking on New Zealand in the opening match of the Cricket World Cup this year.
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With just a little over a week to go for the flagship to start, fans are eagerly waiting to witness their favourite stars perform on the biggest stage.
Star players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam, Steve Smith, Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi will give their best to win matches for their respective teams and will also try to bag the prestigious ICC Player of the Tournament which is given to the best performer of the competition.
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Cricket World Cup Player of the Tournament: Full list of previous winners
The award was first introduced at the 1992 World Cup and New Zealand legend Martin Crowe was the first-ever recipient of the accolade.
Thereafter some of the greats of the game like Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Glenn McGrath and Yuvraj Singh have bagged this trophy.
In 2019, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson received the award for scoring 578 runs in the entire tournament.
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| India | Player | Country | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Martin Crowe | New Zealand | 456 runs |
| 1996 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 221 runs and 6 wickets |
| 1999 | Lance Klusner | South Africa | 281 runs and 17 wickets |
| 2003 | Sachin Tendulkar | India | 673 runs and 2 wickets |
| 2007 | Glenn McGrath | Australia | 26 wickets |
| 2011 | Yuvraj Singh | India | 362 Runs and 15 wickets |
| 2015 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | 22 wickets |
| 2019 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 578 runs and 2 wickets |
Cricket World Cup: Who will win Player of the Tournament 2023?
Every team boasts of at least three or four star players who have the calibre to single-handedly win matches for their respective teams.
In India, all eyes will be on the usual suspects Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Young opening batsman Shubman Gill is enjoying a purple patch in 2023 and will aim to continue his fine form in his maiden World Cup.
Pakistan have players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi who could prove to be game-changers for their team.
Players like Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and David Warner will also be contenders to win the Cricket World Cup Player of the Tournament award.