'He deserved more': AB de Villiers feels Jasprit Bumrah should have been Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has questioned the decision to hand India’s Sanju Samson the Player-of-the-Tournament award, arguing that fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was equally, if not more, deserving of the accolade. Samson received the honour after reeling off three consecutive half-centuries from the Super 8 stage and top-scoring with 89 in India’s 255 for five against New Zealand in the final, a total the Black Caps never threatened as they fell 96 runs short.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers praised Samson’s campaign but insisted the margin should have been tighter. “It was a really, really close call between Sanju Samson and Bumrah,” he said. “Why I mention Bumrah? Well, he was the top wicket-taker, and so he was pushing for the Player of the Tournament. But to me, there were pivotal moments and pivotal overs that he bowled that I felt like maybe he deserved more of a mention there. It should have been closer.”

Bumrah underlined his worth on the sport’s biggest stage by claiming four wickets in the final, becoming the first fast bowler to take a four-wicket haul in a T20 World Cup knockout match. The 30-year-old also surpassed Lasith Malinga to become the leading fast bowler in tournament history, joining spinners Ajantha Mendis and Shadab Khan as the only players to register four-wicket returns in a knockout fixture.

De Villiers highlighted the difficulty of bowling pace in Indian conditions and reserved special praise for Bumrah’s ability to raise his game when the stakes were highest. “It’s not easy to bowl as a fast bowler in India unless you are Jasprit Bumrah,” he noted. “Even he was expensive in a couple of his overs during the tournament. But when it mattered most in the semifinal and final, he bowled insane overs. I’ve never seen anything like it. He is hittable, but when it matters, there is a different gear this guy hits, and he goes to a different planet. An incredible performer and an asset to cricket in India.”

While Samson’s bat dominated the headlines, Bumrah’s new-ball mastery and death-over precision played a central role in India’s unbeaten run to the title, leaving de Villiers and many observers to wonder what more a bowler must do to edge the voting ledger.