In a game of cricket, there is always one player whose performance stands out from the rest of the players which makes him the perfect candidate to win a Player of the Match award. However, there are also some players who continue their match-winning performance throughout the series or a tournament due to which they earn the title of Player of the Series.
There have been several cricketers in the ODI format who have won Player of the Series awards multiple times throughout their career. In the following listicle, we will discuss seven cricketers who won most number of Player of the Series awards in the ODI format.
Most Player of the Series in ODI cricket
7. Hashim Amla – 7 awards
Former South Africa cricketer Hashim Amla was one of the best batters for the Proteas in the 50-over format. While he was the fastest to score 3000 runs and 4000 runs in ODI cricket, he remains the second fastest to amass 5000 runs in the format. The opening batter has won seven Player of the Series awards out of 49 ODI series he played for South Africa.
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6. Vivian Richards – 7 awards
West Indian great Vivian Richards was among the top performers in every series he played for the side. The former cricketer has played 40 ODI series in his career winning seven Players of the Series awards.
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5. Chris Gayle – 8 awards
Former West Indies cricketer, Chris Gayle is known to be one of the most dangerous batters in white-ball cricket. The opening batter used to give a flying start in the first 10 overs and set a momentum for a big total. Gayle has won eight Player of the Series from 71 ODI series in his career.
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4. Shaun Pollock – 9 awards
Former South Africa fast bowler, Shaun Pollock was one of the most consistent performers for the Proteas in every series he played. The right-arm pacer has won nine Player of the Series from 60 ODI series he played with South Africa.
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3. Sanath Jayasuriya – 11 awards
Former Sri Lanka cricketer, Sanath Jayasuriya is the third player in the list to win most Player of the Series awards in ODI cricket. He was one of the best players from Sri Lanka in the decade of 90s and was awarded Player of the Tournament in the 1996 Cricket World Cup, where he scored 221 runs with the bat and took seven wickets with the ball as Sri Lanka won their first-ever World Cup title. Jayasuriya has won 11 Player of the Series awards from 111 ODI series.
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2. Virat Kohli – 11 awards
India batter Virat Kohli is the only active cricketer in the list of most Player of the Series awards in ODI cricket. The right-hander won the Player of the Tournament for his record-breaking performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he scored 765 runs from 11 matches. The Indian batter has won 11 Player of the Series awards from 72 ODI series of his career. He is likely to add more awards to the list in the upcoming years.
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1. Sachin Tendulkar – 15 awards
India’s cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar was one of the top performers for the Indian cricket team in almost every series he played in the decade of 90s and early 2000s. One of his best performances came during the 2003 ODI World Cup, where he won the Player of the Tournament with 673 runs from 11 matches. However, he couldn’t help India to win the title as they lost to Australia in the final. Tendulkar has won most number of Player of the Series awards in ODI cricket with 15 awards in 108 ODI series in his career.
