The Champions Trophy comes just behind the ODI World Cup in the pecking order. And given the format of the event, every match is important to have a shot at the trophy.
So players have to put in their best performances to give their team a chance at winning the Champions Trophy. In the tournament’s history, many players have performed well, but a few of them stood out for their extraordinary consistency throughout an edition.
These players then went on to win the Player of the Tournament award in those particular editions while taking their teams to new heights.
So here we’ll list the Player of the Tournament award winners in each Champions Trophy edition.
Player of the Tournament Award Winners in Champions Trophy
| Edition | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Jacques Kallis | South Africa |
| 2004 | Ramnaresh Sarwan | West Indies |
| 2006 | Chris Gayle | West Indies |
| 2009 | Ricky Ponting | Australia |
| 2013 | Shikhar Dhawan | India |
| 2017 | Hasan Ali | Pakistan |
1998 | Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis was the inaugural Player of the Tournament award winner in the 1998 Champions Trophy. He put on an all-round performance, helping South Africa win their first-ever ICC trophy.
Kallis started with three wickets against England in the first quarter-final. Then in the semi-final, he slammed an unbeaten 113 against Sri Lanka, taking South Africa to the final.
Kallis then played a good hand with bat and ball in the final. He first minted the tournament’s first-ever five-wicket haul before scoring a match-winning 37-run knock.
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2004 | Ramnaresh Sarwan
The fourth edition of the Champions Trophy, held in 2004, saw Ramnaresh Sarwan win the POTT award. There were no winners in the previous two editions.
Sarwan played an instrumental role with the bat, helping the West Indies win the 2004 Champions Trophy. He amassed 166 runs in four matches, which included two fifties.
Sarwan couldn’t contribute significantly in the final, but his knocks in the other three games pushed the Windies closer to the trophy.
2006 | Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle followed in the footsteps of his fellow teammate in 2006, though he took it a notch higher. He delivered the finest batting performance in the tournament’s history.
The Universe Boss plundered a record 474 runs in eight innings, including three centuries. This is the highest runs and centuries a batter has scored in a single Champions Trophy edition.
And Gayle didn’t stop with his run-scoring. He also contributed with the ball, grabbing eight wickets across seven innings.
Gayle’s batting display saw the West Indies advance from qualifying matches to the group stage to the semi-final to the final. Even in the final, he was their top scorer with 37 runs, but the Windies couldn’t make it two in two.
And Gayle had to settle on the Player of the Tournament accolade for his all-round outing.
2009 | Ricky Ponting
After guiding Australia to the title in 2006, Ricky Ponting repeated the feat in 2009. And this time, it was more sweeter for him as he led from the front.
Apart from leading Australia to the title triumph, Ponting accumulated 288 runs across five innings. The run tally included a hundred and two half-centuries.
The former Australian skipper was in sublime form, hammering back-to-back fifties before scoring a crucial 32-run knock. Then in the semi-final against rivals England, Ponting scored a match-winning 111 not out, guiding Australia to the final.
Ponting became the first captain to win the POTT award in the Champions Trophy.
2013 | Shikhar Dhawan
Whenever India played in 50-over ICC events, Shikhar Dhawan brought out his best in his days. And one of his finest outings came in the 2013 Champions Trophy, which India won.
Dhawan set the tempo from the first match, getting 114 against South Africa. He followed it up with an unbeaten 102 against the West Indies before falling short of a fifty by two runs against Pakistan.
In the semi-final against Sri Lanka, the left-hand opener scored 68, helping India chase 182 runs with ease. Then in the truncated final against England, Dhawan scored a crucial 31-run knock, pushing India’s total to 129, which they successfully defended to win the 2013 edition.
For his 363 runs in five innings, including two hundreds, Dhawan bagged the Player of the Tournament award.
2017 | Hasan Ali
In the 2017 Champions Trophy edition, Hasan Ali became the first bowler to win the POTT award. His extraordinary bowling performance propelled Pakistan to their first Champions Trophy triumph.
Ali’s campaign started on a bad note, going for 70 runs while taking a wicket against India in the group stage. But the right-arm pacer bounced back quickly, taking three-wicket hauls in four consecutive games.
Two of his three-fers came against South Africa and Sri Lanka in the group stage, helping Pakistan make the semi-final. Then another three-wicket haul followed in the semi-final against England before delivering the last one against India in the final.
Ali finished with 13 wickets in five matches, with his best figures of 3 for 19 coming in the big finale.
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