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We're just one sleep away from the grand finale, with India and Australia battling it out for the 2023 World Cup crown at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The two standout teams of the tournament have unsurprisingly made it this far on the back of stellar performances from majority of the pack. In that regard, some of their players are also in line to walk away as the Player of the Tournament award.
On the eve of the final, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced nine nominees for the Fans' Player of the Tournament award, with six of them set to feature in the final on Sunday.
Four Indians (Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami) and two Australians (Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa) headline the lot, with South Africa's Quinton de Kock and the New Zealand duo of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell completing the list.
With each of the nine candidates putting up strong performances at the 2023 World Cup, they're all in with a good shot at winning the coveted award.
Here, we rank the five favorites for the same in descending order ahead of the 2023 World Cup final:
#5 Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)
A breakout campaign like none other, Rachin Ravindra has told the world that he has arrived and here to stay on the international circuit.
He laid down an early marker in New Zealand's 2023 World Cup opener against England, bagging the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten 123 that drubbed the defending champions in Ahmedabad.
He didn't look back ever since, becoming the first batter aged 23 or under to amass three World Cup tons, while stringing in consistent displays with the bat with incredible assurance at the top of the order.
Overall, Ravindra finished with 578 runs at an average of 64.22 and a strike rate of 106.45, scoring two half-centuries and three fifties, apart from taking five wickets with his left-arm spin.
Had New Zealand made it to the final, it might have boosted his chances of winning the Player of the Tournament award since he could have enhanced those numbers further. But he is a worthy candidate no less for the coveted award.
#4 Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
When it comes to having an impact on a team's campaign to the extent that their fortunes have flipped for the better, Glenn Maxwell is right up there.
The Australian all-rounder has been stupendous at the 2023 World Cup, blasting bowlers all around the park in the middle-order apart from regularly sending down tidy overs of quality.
He has bagged just five wickets but his economical spells against South Africa - both in the league-stage encounter and the semi-final - are testament to his control and value he has brought when some of the frontline quicks have taken some tap.
With the bat, he carted the Dutch bowlers for the fastest ODI World Cup ton while chipping in with vital cameos against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. And of course, there was that innings of 201* against Afghanistan in a chasing cause, the monstrosity of which remains unfathomable to describe in words.
If Australia are to win the 2023 World Cup final, Maxwell is bound to have a major say in keeping India at bay. If they do bag their sixth crown, there's every chance he could walk away as the Player of the Tournament.
#3 Rohit Sharma (India)
Such has been India's dominance at the 2023 World Cup that majority of the nominees for the Player of the Tournament comprise members of their contingent. Skipper Rohit Sharma is one of them and having missed out in 2019, is a hot favorite for the award this time around.
Rohit has set the tone with his explosive starts in the powerplay. What has stood out though is his consistency despite adopting such a high-risk game - 550 runs at an average of 55 and a belligerent strike rate of 124.15 is a reflection of just how easy he makes batting look.
This has been a hallmark of his batting throughout the 2023 World Cup despite just a couple of blips. It was there to be seen in all its glory against New Zealand in the semi-finals as well when he ripped Trent Boult and Tim Southee to shreds early on.
Added to this of course is his astute leadership and he has comfortably been the best tactician on display in the tournament. A win on Sunday will be a fitting culmination for Rohit and India while the Player of the Tournament is something he could walk away with as well.
#2 Virat Kohli (India)
Virat Kohli is not averse to asserting his dominance on a big multi-nation tournament. He has done that on a number of occasions at the T20 World Cup having won the Player of the Tournament in the 2014 and 2016 editions.
It was only a matter of time before he had that one big ODI World Cup campaign. And it has come in 2023 at the ripe old age of 35, with 711 runs at an average of 101.57 with five half-centuries and eight centuries to his name. Having outdone his own consistency, Kohli has also smashed a truckload of records along the way, none more iconic than becoming the first player to record 50 tons in ODIs.
He loves the big occasion and come Sunday, another big innings is what will be expected of him. Irrespective of how many he scores though, Kohli is right up there as one of the favorites for the Player of the Tournament trophy.
#1 Mohammed Shami (India)
How does one describe Mohammed Shami's 2023 World Cup campaign in words? He was benched for the first four matches and got an opportunity because of Hardik Pandya's injury forcing the think-tank to look at their better specialist options to blow teams away.
Shami has led that charge in outrageously brilliant fashion. Six games is all he has needed to sit on top of the wicket charts with 23 scalps at a stunning average of 9.13 and a mind-boggling strike-rate of 10.91.
For context, Mitchell Starc, who won the Player of the Tournament at the 2015 World Cup, bagged 22 wickets in eight matches at 10.18 apiece, striking once every 17.40. Glenn McGrath averaged 13.73 for his 26 wickets in 2007 and while Gary Gilmour took his 11 wickets at 5.63 in 1975, they were spread across two games alone.
There's every reason to believe that Shami's 2023 World Cup campaign is the greatest any bowler has ever had in the competition's history. His staggering numbers, apart from the control and rhythm he has shown, vindicate the same and he could well be standing with the Player of the Tournament award by the time the final is done.
Who among these players is your choice for the Player of the Tournament at the 2023 World Cup? Have your say in the comments section below!
