The ODI World Cup is the biggest stage for any team and player. Because everyone waits for his mega event, which comes once every four years. The first edition took place in 1975 in England, and the West Indies won the tournament. So far, twelve editions have taken place.
Australia has five titles, while India and the West Indies have won two editions each. After the conclusion of every edition, different awards are distributed to the top performers. The Golden Bat Award is given to the player with the most runs in the tournament. Sachin Tendulkar has won it twice. Here, we will talk about the list of Golden Bat winners in the World Cup so far.
Golden Bat Winners List in ODI World Cup
| World Cup | Player | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Glenn Turner (NZ) | 333 |
| 1979 | Gordon Greenidge (WI) | 253 |
| 1983 | David Gower (ENG) | 384 |
| 1987 | Graham Gooch (ENG) | 471 |
| 1992 | Martin Crowe (NZ) | 456 |
| 1996 | Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 523 |
| 1999 | Rahul Dravid (IND) | 461 |
| 2003 | Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 673 |
| 2007 | Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 659 |
| 2011 | Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) | 500 |
| 2015 | Martin Guptill (NZ) | 548 |
| 2019 | Rohit Sharma (IND) | 648 |
1. Glenn Turner (NZ) – 1975
New Zealand lost the semi-final of the 1975 World Cup against the West Indies and ended up in the top four. But Glenn Turner ended the tournament with the most runs and the Golden Bat Award. He scored 333 runs in just four innings at an average of 166.50, with two centuries and a best of 171.
2. Gordon Greenidge (WI) – 1979
The West Indies won their second successive title in 1979, beating England in the final. Gordon Greenidge played a key role and won the Golden Bat Award. He scored the most runs in the tournament with 253 runs in four innings at 84.33, with one century and two half-centuries.
3. David Gower (ENG) – 1983
England lost the semi-final of the 1983 World Cup to India and ended up in the top four. David Gower was the top scorer in that tournament. He scored 384 runs in seven innings at 76.80, with one century and a best of 130.
4. Graham Gooch (ENG) – 1987
England made it to the final of the 1987 World Cup but lost to Australia to finish as runners-up. The English opener, Graham Gooch, was the top scorer in the competition. He scored 471 runs in 8 innings at an average of 58.88, with one century and a best of 115.
5. Martin Crowe (NZ) – 1992
New Zealand lost the semi-final against Pakistan in the 1992 World Cup, and their journey ended there. But Martin Crowe had a tremendous tournament in person. He won the Golden Bat award and scored 456 runs in nine innings at an average of 114, with one century and four half-centuries.
6. Sachin Tendulkar (IND) – 1996
Indian fans will never forget when the crowd interrupted the semi-final of the 1996 World Cup against Sri Lanka and they lost the game. Sachin Tendulkar had an excellent season and won the Golden Bat Award. He scored 523 runs in seven innings at 87.17, with two centuries, three half-centuries, and a best of 137.
7. Rahul Dravid (IND) – 1999
Team India couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals in the 1999 World Cup, but Rahul Dravid won the Golden Bat award. He was the top scorer with 461 runs in 8 innings at an average of 65.86, with two centuries and three half-centuries for a best of 145.
8. Sachin Tendulkar (IND) – 2003
India lost the 2003 final against Australia to finish as runners-up. But Sachin Tendulkar broke all the records in that competition. He scored the most runs ever in a single edition. Sachin made 673 runs, which was 208 more than the second-ranked batter, in just 11 innings. He also scored one century and six half-centuries.
9. Matthew Hayden (AUS) – 2007
Australia won their third successive World Cup title in 2007, and Matthew Hayden was one of the reasons for that. He became only the second batter to win the Golden Bat Award, whose team is also winning the World Cup. Hayden scored 659 runs in 11 innings at 73.22, with three centuries and a best of 158.
10. Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) – 2011
Sri Lanka lost the final of the 2011 World Cup against India at Wankhede Stadium. But their opener, Tillakaratne Dilshan, won the Golden Bat Award. He scored 500 runs in nine innings at an average of 62.50, with two centuries and two half-centuries, and a best of 144.
11. Martin Guptill (NZ) – 2015
Martin Guptill scored the highest individual World Cup score of 237 not out against the West Indies in 2015. New Zealand also played in the final of the tournament but lost to Australia. Guptill won the Golden Bat Award with 547 runs in nine innings at 68.38, with two centuries.
12. Rohit Sharma (IND) – 2019
Rohit Sharma set the record for five centuries in a single World Cup edition during the 2019 event. He won the Golden Bat award and ended up as the top scorer. Rohit scored 648 runs in nine innings at an average of 81 and a best of 140.