It is often hailed as one of the biggest achievements for a majority of international cricketers to clinch the prestigious ICC Player of the Year Award. The glorious history of the game, which spans over decades, has witnessed numerous legendary international cricketers, including Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Ben Stokes and many others who have clinched the prestigious honour and have etched their names in the golden history of the game.
While it’s considered to be one of the most daunting challenges for international cricketers to claim the honour even once, a few trailblazing stalwarts have managed to clinch it multiple times throughout their star-studded international cricketing careers. Have you ever wondered about the top four cricketers who have won the most ICC Player of the Year Awards in their career as of May 2026? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four cricketers who have won the most ICC Player of the Year Awards as of May 2026.
Top 4 Cricketers With Most ICC Player of the Year Awards
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Virat Kohli
Often hailed as one of the greatest cricketers in the history of international cricket, Virat Kohli is at the first spot on our list of the top four cricketers who have been honoured with the most ICC Player of the Year awards as of May 2026. Kohli has been a mainstay for the Indian side ever since 2008 and has delivered multiple match-winning knocks for the squad across numerous prestigious and crucial tournaments.
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Owing to his dominating batting performances, Kohli has been honoured with 10 major ICC awards throughout his glorious career, including two Garfield Sobers Trophies (Cricketer of the Year) in 2017 and 2018, three ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012, 2017, 2018, Test Player of the Year in 2018, ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade (2011–2020), and ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Decade, ranking him at the first spot on our list.
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Steve Smith
At the second spot on our list of the top four cricketers who have won the most ICC Player of the Year Awards as of May 2026, we have the trailblazing Australian international cricketer and former skipper of the Aussies, Steve Smith. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of international cricket, Steve Smith has been a mainstay for the Australian national cricket team across all formats of international cricket ever since 2010.
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Owing to his match-winning batting performances, Steve Smith has been honored with a record total of four ICC awards in his glorious career so far, including the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (2015), ICC Test Player of the Year (2015, 2017), and ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade, which continues to be the second-highest aggregate of ICC awards ever won by an international cricketer as of May 2026.
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Kumar Sangakkara
Next, at the third spot on our list of the top four cricketers who have been honoured with the most ICC Player of the Year awards as of May 2026 we have the iconic Sri Lankan former international cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, who continued being a dominant force for Sri Lanka across all formats of international cricket between 2000 and 2015.
Often regarded as one of the most influential batsmen of his generation, Kumar Sangakkara was also a crucial member of the Sri Lankan squads which clinched the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship, 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and 2014 T20 World Cup. Kumar Sangakkara was named ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Player of the Year in 2012, and also won the ICC ODI Player of the Year twice, ranking him at the third spot on our list.
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Finally, at the fourth spot on our list of the top four cricketers who have won the most ICC Player of the Year Awards as of May 2026, we have the legendary Indian former international cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is still hailed as one of the greatest batsmen and wicket-keepers of all-time.
Throughout his glorious international cricketing career which spanned from 2004 to 2019, Mahendra Singh Dhoni led India to victory in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and also successfully established himself as the only captain to win three different limited overs ICC tournaments. Owing to the unmatched impact that he has left on the game, Dhoni has been honoured with the prestigious ICC ODI Player of the Year award consecutively in 2008 and 2009, as well as the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award in 2011.
