Every Asia Cup produces a handful of players who refuse to let the big stage rattle them, and the Player of the Match (POTM) tally is the clearest scoreboard of who those players are.
Virat Kohli owns the record with 7 Player of the Match awards across the ODI and T20I Asia Cups combined, ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya and Shoaib Malik, who have 5 each.
But the full list tells a richer story than just one name at the top, and that’s what this guide breaks down.
Most Player of the Match Awards in Asia Cup History: The All-Time Leaders
Here’s the complete picture of who has walked away with the most POTM trophies across all Asia Cup editions, combining both the ODI and T20I formats.
| Rank | Player | Country | POTM Awards | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | India | 7 | ODI + T20I |
| 2 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 5 | ODI |
| 2 | Shoaib Malik | Pakistan | 5 | ODI + T20I |
| 4 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 4 | ODI |
| 4 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 4 | ODI + T20I |
This top five is exactly why the Asia Cup is remembered as much for its individual moments as its trophies — three cricketing eras, three countries, one shared trait: showing up when it mattered.
Why Player of the Match Awards Matter More at the Asia Cup Than Anywhere Else
Most “most POTM awards” lists treat this stat like a trivia footnote.
It deserves better, and here’s the angle most articles miss: the Asia Cup is unique because it’s an Asian derby tournament, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka playing each other repeatedly, often multiple times in a single edition, under the weight of rivalry cricket.
Winning a POTM here isn’t just about scoring runs against a weaker side; it’s frequently about doing it against a fierce continental rival with a full house watching. That context is what makes this particular record book worth studying closely.
1. Virat Kohli: The Undisputed King of Asia Cup POTM Awards
Kohli’s 7 Player of the Match awards make him the most decorated individual performer in the tournament’s history, and the manner of his wins is the real headline:
- His unbeaten 183 against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup remains one of the greatest ODI innings ever played by an Indian batter.
- He is the only player to win back-to-back Player of the Match awards in the T20I Asia Cup, and the first man to claim multiple POTM honours in that format.
- Kohli is also the leading run-scorer in T20 Asia Cup history, which explains why his match-winning contributions keep stacking up.
- Unlike most names on this list, Kohli built his tally across two different formats (ODI and T20I), something none of his closest rivals managed at the same scale.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya and Shoaib Malik: The Chasers-in-Chief
Tied at 5 awards apiece, Jayasuriya and Malik represent two very different eras of Asia Cup dominance.
- Sanath Jayasuriya collected all 5 of his POTM awards in the ODI Asia Cup alone, making him the most decorated player in the 50-over version of the tournament specifically — a record Kohli hasn’t touched because his tally is split across formats.
- Shoaib Malik, Pakistan’s long-serving all-rounder, spread his 5 awards across both formats, reflecting a career that outlasted several generations of teammates and stretched from the early 2000s well into the T20 era.
3. Sangakkara and Afridi: The Four-Time Match-Winners
Rounding out the top tier are two players synonymous with clutch cricket in their own right:
- Kumar Sangakkara — Sri Lanka’s most reliable big-match batter, with 4 POTM awards built on composure rather than flash.
- Shahid Afridi — Pakistan’s most explosive all-rounder, whose 4 awards came from a mix of match-turning cameos and crucial spells.
Asia Cup Finals: A Different Kind of Pressure Test
Here’s a detail most POTM roundups skip entirely: winning the award in a final is a separate feat altogether, and only a handful of players have done it more than once.
- Mohammad Azharuddin (1991 and 1995) and Marvan Atapattu (1997 and 2004) are the only players to win a Player of the Match award in two separate Asia Cup finals in the ODI format.
- In the T20I format, Shikhar Dhawan (2016) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (2022) are the two players who have won the Man of the Match award in a final.
- Among captains, Arjuna Ranatunga won 3 of his POTM awards while leading Sri Lanka — the most by any skipper in the ODI Asia Cup.
POTM Awards by Country: Which Nation Produces the Most Match-Winners?
Looking at the top five alone, the country-wise split is revealing:
| Country | Players in Top 5 | Combined POTM Awards |
|---|---|---|
| India | 1 (Kohli) | 7 |
| Sri Lanka | 2 (Jayasuriya, Sangakkara) | 9 |
| Pakistan | 2 (Malik, Afridi) | 9 |
Sri Lanka and Pakistan each contribute two names to the elite bracket, but India’s single entry, Kohli out weighs any individual from either side, which is precisely why his record feels even more dominant in context.
Beyond the Top 5: The Depth of Indian Contributions
One angle that rarely gets coverage: Kohli isn’t operating in isolation. Among Indian players specifically:
- 10 Indian players have won a Player of the Match award at least once in Asia Cup history.
- Another 10 Indian players have won it exactly twice.
- Kohli’s tally of 7 dwarfs every other Indian by a wide margin, underlining just how much of India’s Asia Cup success has run through one individual’s big-match temperament.
Active Players Who Could Challenge the Record
Since Kohli’s rivals from the Jayasuriya-Malik-Afridi generation have all retired, the more interesting question for fans today is who among current players could realistically chase him down.
Rohit Sharma has historically been the active player closest to Kohli’s tally, and with the Asia Cup returning regularly to the calendar, this list is far from frozen, every new edition is a fresh chance for the record to be rewritten.
Quick-Reference: Key Records at a Glance
- Most POTM awards overall (both formats): Virat Kohli — 7
- Most POTM awards in ODI Asia Cup alone: Sanath Jayasuriya — 5
- Most POTM awards by a captain: Arjuna Ranatunga — 3
- Most POTM awards in two different finals: Mohammad Azharuddin & Marvan Atapattu
- Only player with consecutive T20I Asia Cup POTM awards: Virat Kohli
- Players with 2+ POTM awards in ODI Asia Cup history: 26+
Final Word
The Player of the Match list is less a record book and more a highlight reel of Asian cricket’s biggest rivalries.
Virat Kohli sits clearly on top with 7 awards, but the story doesn’t end there, Jayasuriya’s format-specific dominance, Malik’s cross-era consistency, and the finals-day heroics of players like Azharuddin and Atapattu all add texture to what makes the Asia Cup special.
As the tournament keeps evolving, this list will too, and that’s exactly what keeps fans coming back to check it.
