Player of the Tournament Award Winner in ODI World Cup

The Player of the Tournament award honours the best overall performer at each ODI Cricket World Cup. The award was introduced in 1992, so there have been nine winners through the 2023 World Cup, from Martin Crowe in 1992 to Virat Kohli in 2023. Kohli’s 765 runs in 2023 remain the most runs scored in a single World Cup.

Complete List of Player of the Tournament Winners in ODI World Cup

Year	Player	Team	Tournament Performance	Team Result
1992	Martin Crowe	New Zealand	456 runs	Semi-final
1996	Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	221 runs, 7 wickets	Winner
1999	Lance Klusener	South Africa	281 runs, 17 wickets	Semi-final
2003	Sachin Tendulkar	India	673 runs, 2 wickets	Runner-up
2007	Glenn McGrath	Australia	26 wickets	Winner
2011	Yuvraj Singh	India	362 runs, 15 wickets	Winner
2015	Mitchell Starc	Australia	22 wickets	Winner
2019	Kane Williamson	New Zealand	578 runs, 2 wickets	Runner-up
2023	Virat Kohli	India	765 runs, 1 wicket	Runner-up

India lead the count outright with three winners (Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Kohli), while New Zealand (Crowe and Williamson) and Australia (McGrath and Starc) have two each, and Sri Lanka (Jayasuriya) and South Africa (Klusener) have one each. Four winners came from the team that lifted the trophy, three from runners-up and two from teams beaten in the semi-finals.

Origins of the Player of the Tournament Award

There was no Player of the Tournament award at the first four World Cups, from 1975 to 1987. The award was introduced at the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the first edition to feature coloured clothing, white balls and day-night matches. New Zealand captain Martin Crowe became the first winner after scoring 456 runs in nine innings and leading his side to the semi-finals with inventive captaincy, including opening the bowling with off-spinner Dipak Patel.

The award recognises the tournament as a whole rather than a single match, which is why it often goes to a player whose team did not win the title. Five of the nine winners played for teams that did not lift the trophy. The judges weigh runs, wickets, fielding, captaincy and influence on big matches, and the award has gone to batters, bowlers and all-rounders in roughly equal measure across its history.

Batters Who Won the Player of the Tournament Award

Four of the nine winners were recognised primarily for their batting. Martin Crowe set the template in 1992 with 456 runs, including a century against Australia. Sachin Tendulkar’s 2003 campaign remains one of the great World Cup batting performances: 673 runs in 11 innings, including 98 against Pakistan in a high-pressure chase, carrying India to the final.

Kane Williamson’s 2019 award was unusual because he won it despite New Zealand losing the final to England. His 578 runs came as captain, often in difficult situations, and his leadership was judged part of the performance. Virat Kohli’s 2023 campaign was the most productive batting tournament ever played: 765 runs in 11 innings at an average of 95.62, with three centuries and six half-centuries. He passed Tendulkar’s 2003 record of 673 runs during the tournament and finished with the highest single-edition aggregate in World Cup history, although India lost the final to Australia.

Bowlers Who Won the Player of the Tournament Award

Only two pure bowlers have won the award, and both were Australians who led their teams to the title. Glenn McGrath won in 2007 with 26 wickets in 11 matches, the most wickets taken in a single World Cup. His control at the start of the innings and his accuracy at the death made him the tournament’s most reliable bowler, and Australia went through the 2007 edition unbeaten.

Mitchell Starc won in 2015 with 22 wickets in eight matches, bowling fast yorkers that dismantled batting orders throughout the tournament. His standout performance came in the final against New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where his early wickets set up Australia’s fifth World Cup title. Starc’s 22 wickets came at the best strike rate of any winner, reflecting how quickly he ended innings rather than merely containing batters.

All-Round Winners of the Player of the Tournament Award

Three winners earned the award for genuine all-round contributions with bat and ball. Sanath Jayasuriya won in 1996 with 221 runs and 7 wickets, and his aggressive opening batting transformed how one-day innings were started. His fast starts gave Sri Lanka the platform for their first World Cup title.

Lance Klusener’s 1999 award is often called the most dominant all-round tournament ever played. He scored 281 runs at a strike rate above 120 and took 17 wickets, repeatedly finishing matches for South Africa with the bat. He won it despite South Africa losing the tied semi-final to Australia, a result that ended their campaign in the most dramatic fashion possible. Klusener’s campaign is a central part of the story of the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

Yuvraj Singh’s 2011 award was the most emotional of the nine. He scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets, including four Player of the Match performances, as India won the title at home. He played through illness during the tournament and was later diagnosed with cancer, which he overcame before returning to international cricket. His 2011 campaign remains the benchmark for all-round World Cup performances.

Winners From Teams That Did Not Lift the Trophy

The Player of the Tournament award has never required the winner’s team to win the World Cup. Crowe (1992) and Klusener (1999) won it after semi-final defeats, while Tendulkar (2003), Williamson (2019) and Kohli (2023) won it after losing finals. That pattern shows how the award works: it rewards the individual who shaped the tournament most, whether or not his team finished first.

By contrast, the four winners from champion teams, Jayasuriya (1996), McGrath (2007), Yuvraj (2011) and Starc (2015), all played decisive roles in finals or knockout matches as well as across the group stage. Across the full span of Cricket World Cup history, the award’s winners list reads as a short history of the one-day game itself, from Crowe’s innovation in 1992 to Kohli’s record-breaking consistency in 2023. The award did not exist at the 1987 Cricket World Cup, which is why great performances from that era, such as Graham Gooch’s 471 runs, were never eligible for it.

Most Dominant Single-Tournament Campaigns

Three campaigns stand above the rest in the award’s history. Kohli’s 765 runs in 2023 is the highest aggregate ever, scored at an average of 95.62 with three centuries. Tendulkar’s 673 runs in 2003 held the record for twenty years and included a match-winning 98 against Pakistan that remains one of the most famous innings in World Cup history. McGrath’s 26 wickets in 2007 remains the bowling record for a single edition.

Klusener’s 1999 combination of 281 runs and 17 wickets is the most balanced campaign on the list, and Yuvraj’s 362 runs and 15 wickets in 2011 is the only one that combined a 350-plus run tally with 15 wickets and a title. Each of these campaigns changed how the tournament is remembered, which is exactly what the Player of the Tournament award is designed to recognise.

Who won the Player of the Tournament in the 2023 World Cup?

Virat Kohli won the Player of the Tournament award in 2023 for a record 765 runs in 11 innings at an average of 95.62.

Who was Player of the Tournament in 2011?

Yuvraj Singh won the award in 2011 for 362 runs and 15 wickets, helping India win the World Cup on home soil.

Was there a Player of the Tournament award before 1992?

No. The award was introduced at the 1992 World Cup, and Martin Crowe of New Zealand was the first winner.

Which bowler has won the Player of the Tournament award?

Two pure bowlers have won it: Glenn McGrath in 2007 with 26 wickets and Mitchell Starc in 2015 with 22 wickets. Both were Australians and both led their teams to the title.

Can a player from a losing team win Player of the Tournament?

Yes. Five of the nine winners played for teams that did not win the trophy, including Kane Williamson in 2019 and Virat Kohli in 2023, who both won it after losing the final.