Glenn Phillips collected his 10th Player of the Match award in T20 internationals during the fourth T20I between New Zealand and India at Eden Park in Auckland on October 30, 2026. The milestone placed him level with Martin Guptill at the top of New Zealand’s all-time list. Guptill accumulated his 10 awards across 122 T20I appearances, while Phillips reached the same tally in just 101 matches, underlining the remarkable consistency with which he has delivered match-winning performances for the BlackCaps.
The award followed a commanding innings of 107 off 49 balls in the third T20I of the series, which was Phillips’ third T20I century. His hundred arrived off 46 balls, equalling his own record for the fastest T20I century by a New Zealand batter. New Zealand posted 259 for 7 in that match, surpassing their previous highest T20I total of 254 for 5, which Scotland had conceded at Edinburgh on July 29, 2022. New Zealand went on to defeat India by 87 runs.
Phillips also set a bilateral T20I series run record during this series against India, accumulating 276 runs in total. That surpassed the previous mark of 261 runs, which Shai Hope had set for West Indies in 2026.
How does Phillips compare with other New Zealand POTM holders?
With 10 awards from 101 T20Is, Phillips and Guptill stand alone at the top of New Zealand’s Player of the Match list. Four players share the next tier with 7 awards each, though each reached that figure across a different number of appearances.
Most POTM awards for New Zealand in T20Is
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10 Glenn Phillips (101 T20Is)
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10 Martin Guptill (122)
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7 Colin Munro (65)
7 Finn Allen (66)
7 Brendon McCullum (71)
7 Tim Seifert (94)
Phillips’ conversion rate of one award every 10.1 matches compares favourably with Guptill’s one every 12.2, and it betters every other name on the New Zealand list. Munro’s rate of one award per 9.3 matches is the only figure that edges Phillips on a per-game basis among the seven-award group, yet Munro’s total remains well short of the joint record. The gap between Phillips and the chasing pack reflects how regularly he has risen to the occasion in the shortest format for New Zealand.
What records did Phillips set during the India series?
Phillips’ innings of 107 off 49 balls in the third T20I was central to New Zealand’s highest-ever T20I total of 259 for 7. The previous record of 254 for 5 had stood since July 29, 2022, when New Zealand posted it against Scotland in Edinburgh. The 87-run victory over India in that match represented a commanding margin and gave New Zealand a significant series moment.
His series aggregate of 276 runs against India in 2026 broke the bilateral T20I series record previously held by Shai Hope, who had scored 261 runs for West Indies in 2026. Phillips’ century off 46 balls also equalled his own benchmark as the fastest hundred by a New Zealand batter in T20Is. The combination of a record team total, a record series aggregate and a joint-record POTM tally makes this series one of the most decorated individual campaigns in New Zealand T20I history.
