KL Rahul singles out Sanju Samson at Board of Control for Cricket in India awards as ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 winner breaks queue for heart-warming moment

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday hosted the annual Naman Awards in New Delhi, where India’s five ICC World Cup-winning teams from the 2025–26 season were honoured. Among those celebrated was the Suryakumar Yadav-led side that lifted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The T20 World Cup champions were the final team invited on stage as the BCCI rolled out the red carpet for each of the title-winning squads. As the players lined up to walk on stage, KL Rahul—who had earlier been honoured as part of the ICC Champions Trophy-winning side—called out to Sanju Samson.

Initially unsure who had called him, Samson soon realised it was Rahul and stepped out of the queue to walk over to his teammate before sharing a warm embrace. The brief exchange between the two quickly caught fans’ attention and soon went viral on social media.

Samson was named Player of the Tournament at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after a remarkable campaign, scoring 321 runs at a strike rate close to 200 in just five innings to help India clinch the title.

Despite limited opportunities early in the tournament, the wicketkeeper-batter delivered a sensational unbeaten 97 in the must-win Super 8 clash against the West Indies cricket team. He followed it up with 89 in the semifinal against the England cricket team and repeated the same score in the final against the New Zealand national cricket team.

Speaking to broadcasters on the sidelines of the ceremony, Samson compared India’s triumphant run to a movie and admitted the achievement still feels surreal.

“Not yet. Even when I wake up in the morning, I’m like, ‘Has it really happened?’ So honestly, that’s the feeling,” Samson said while reflecting on India’s triumph.

The Kerala star also expressed confidence that India will continue dominating world cricket in the coming years.

“But I feel that in the coming years, with the quality of players we have in our country, this will be repeated. It’s not going to be something that happens once in a while. The kind of players coming through means India will do this more and more often,” he added.