Sanju Samson rewrites history with record score in T20 World Cup final

In red-hot form, Sanju Samson stamped his authority on the grand stage on Sunday, rewriting the record books with a sensational knock in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

He played magnificiently to produce a breathtaking innings, scoring 89 runs to register the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup final, eclipsing the long-standing record held by West Indies' Marlon Samuels, who had smashed 85* against England in the 2016 final.

Samson’s blazing knock also surpassed the previous best by an Indian in a T20 World Cup final — 77 by Virat Kohli against Sri Lanka in the 2014 summit clash that India lost.


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Adding another feather to his cap, Samson became only the third batter in history to score a half-century in both the semifinal and the final of a T20 World Cup, joining the elite company of Kohli and Shahid Afridi of Pakistan.

Highest Individual Scores in a T20 World Cup Final

Player	Runs	Strike Rate	Opposition	Venue	Date
Sanju Samson	89	193.48	New Zealand	Ahmedabad	8 Mar 2026
Marlon Samuels (WI)	85*	128.78	England	Eden Gardens	3 Apr 2016
Kane Williamson (NZ)	85	177.08	Australia	Dubai (DICS)	14 Nov 2021
Marlon Samuels (WI)	78	139.28	Sri Lanka	Colombo (RPS)	7 Oct 2012
Mitchell Marsh (AUS)	77*	154.00	New Zealand	Dubai (DICS)	14 Nov 2021
Virat Kohli (IND)	77	132.75	Sri Lanka	Mirpur	6 Apr 2014
Virat Kohli (IND)	76	128.81	South Africa	Bridgetown	29 Jun 2024
Gautam Gambhir (IND)	75	138.88	Pakistan	Johannesburg	24 Sep 2007
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)	64*	123.07	Pakistan	Lord’s	21 Jun 2009
Craig Kieswetter (ENG)	63	128.57	Australia	Bridgetown	16 May 2010

Key Records

• Highest score in a T20 World Cup final: Sanju Samson – 89 vs New Zealand (2026)
  
  
• Previous record: Marlon Samuels – 85* vs England (2016)
  
  
• Highest strike rate among top scores: Sanju Samson – 193.48
  
  
• Most appearances in the list: Marlon Samuels and Virat Kohli (2 each)
  
  
• Highest score by a New Zealand batter in a final: Kane Williamson – 85 vs Australia (2021)
  
  
• Highest score by an Australian batter in a final: Mitchell Marsh – 77* vs New Zealand (2021)