T20 World Cup 2026: Top 5 players who turned out to be surprise packages

The T20 World Cup 2026 has finally come to an end as India scripted history, becoming the first team to successfully defend the title and also win the trophy on their home soil. In a tournament that witnessed 53 action-packed matches across 30 days, several players lit up the competition with their remarkable performances.

While there were many established international stars who lived up to their reputations, some unknown names and out-of-form players also came to the limelight, showcasing their talent on the grandest stage.

Here’s a look at five such players, who turned out to be the surprise packages of the tournament:

1. Shadley van Schalkwyk

The right-arm seamer made headlines in his first game of the tournament after triggering an Indian batting collapse. Van Schalkwyk dismissed Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube in the same over, leaving the Men in Blue in all sorts of trouble. He further continued his marvellous form, scalping another four-wicket haul against Pakistan and later took a three-wicket haul (3/21) against the Netherlands, followed by two wickets against Namibia.

The USA seamer ruled the wickets' charts for the entire tournament, until being surpassed by Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah in the final. Van Schalkwyk finished the event with 13 wickets from just four matches at an average of 7.76 and an economy of 6.80.

2. Brian Bennet

The 22-year-old played a key role in Zimbabwe’s dream run in the tournament, which saw them qualify for the Super 8 stages ahead of Australia. His back-to-back half-centuries against Australia (64* off 56) and Sri Lanka (63* off 48) helped his team progress into the next round. Bennet finished the tournament as the highest run scorer for Zimbabwe with 292 runs from six innings at a stunning average of 146 with a highest score of 97* (59) vs India.

3. Usman Tariq

The Pakistan spinner had only played three T20Is in the lead-up to the tournament but had a massive impact on his team’s campaign. Tariq’s economical bowling, coupled with his timely strikes, allowed Pakistan to control the game in the middle overs more often than not. He finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan with ten wickets from five innings at an average of 14.10 and an economy of 7.23.

4. Sanju Samson

The India wicketkeeper batter came into the tournament in horrendous form, having scored 46 runs from five innings in the New Zealand series in the lead-up to the tournament. However, Samson stunned everyone with his return, scoring three successive match-winning knocks against West Indies, England and New Zealand. He finished the tournament as the highest run scorer from India with 321 runs from five innings and was deservedly adjudged Player of the Tournament in his team’s victorious campaign.

5. Blessing Muzarabani

The Zimbabwe seamer was another important player for his team in their campaign, having bowled remarkable spells throughout the tournament. Muzarabani registered his best figures of the tournament in the all-important fixture against Australia, taking four wickets in the match to help his team stun the mighty Australians. He finished the tournament with 13 wickets from six innings at an average of 14.46.