KL Rahul singles out Samson at BCCI awards for T20 World Cup winners; India star breaks queue to offer heart-warming nod

The brief moment between KL Rahul and Sanju Samson quickly caught the attention of fans and soon went viral on social media.

Updated on: Mar 16, 2026, 09:24:07 IST

Written by Aratrick Mondal

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

Sanju Samson won the Player-of-the-Tournament award at T20 World Cup 2026

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

Initially unaware of who had called him, Samson soon realised it was Rahul and broke from the queue to walk straight to his teammate before embracing him.

The brief moment between the two stars quickly caught the attention of fans and soon went viral on social media.

Samson was named Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup after a historic campaign, scoring 321 runs at a strike rate close to 200 in just five innings to guide India to the title.

Despite not featuring regularly early in the tournament, Samson produced a stunning 97 not out in the must-win Super 8 clash against the West Indies before hammering 89 in the semifinal against England and repeating the same score in the final against New Zealand.

Speaking to broadcasters on the sidelines of the ceremony, Samson likened India's triumphant run in the tournament to a movie and admitted that the achievement had still not fully sunk in.

“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 wicketkeeper-batter also asserted that India are well placed to continue dominating global cricket in the years to come.

“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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aratrick Mondal
Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports. He has extensively covered India's evolving cricket landscape, the country's new-found love for private leagues such as Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKK), Rugby Premier League (RPL) and several tennis leagues. He has closely covered emerging sports such as pickleball. His coverage of major franchise events lends an atmospheric flavor to his ground reports. His recent story on how SA20 (the domestic cricket league of South Africa) had opened up its grounds to create a carnival-like fan experience garnered major international attention, including appreciation from major cricketers. Tennis holds a special place in his heart. Aratrick has built a strong niche in analytical tennis stories—ranging from Grand Slam narratives and player profiles to tactical breakdowns and ranking trends. His long-form features often decode grand slams, career highs and lows of tennis greats and the upward trajectory of emerging stars. He also closely follows India's tennis landscape, having covered the Davis Cup, Bengaluru Open and Tata Open, among others. His reporting is backed by strong data capabilities, with hands-on experience using tools like Python, Tableau, and Excel to produce visually rich, insight-led stories. This data-first approach enhances accuracy, transparency, and trust. In leadership roles, he has managed editorial shifts, overseen homepage strategy, optimised SEO workflows, and mentored peers to deliver consistent, high-traffic journalism. He recently won the HT DigiStar award for the third quarter of financial year 2025-26. Aratrick is trusted for his balanced reportage, sound sourcing, and ability to translate complex sporting events into engaging narratives that speak to a wide audience. He believes sports is for everyone, not just for the enthusiasts and has a unique ability to bring people together - just like the sumptuous meals you'll often find him cooking on a weekend evening.Read More

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