Who is Yuvraj Samra? 19-year-old, named after Indian legend, scores Canada's maiden T20 World Cup hundred vs New Zealand

Yuvraj Samra etched his name into history books on Tuesday as the 19-year-old became Canada's first-ever centurion at the T20 World Cups during their Group D clash against New Zealand at the M Chidambaram Stadium. With two losses in two games, Canada came into this clash with an aim to spoil New Zealand's Super 8 qualification party.

Opting to bat first, Samra and captain Dilpreet Bajwa gave Canada a flying start in the powerplay. While Bajwa hold on to one end, Samra went after the New Zealand bowlers with utter disdain in front of a near-packed stadium. The left-hander played some beautiful text-book shots, with clear hitting.

He was particularly brutal on James Neesham, smashing him for a flurry of boundaries. The southpaw clobbered Neesham for 4, 4, 4, 6 to end Canada's powerplay on a high note en route to become the youngest to score a T20 World Cup fifty in 36 balls, surpassing Bangladesh's Junaid Siddique (19y 325d) against Pakistan in 2007.

Samra brought up his hundred in just 58 balls, for Canada's first-ever T20 World Cup centurion. Samra's maiden hundred is also the first hundred by an associate batter in the T20 World Cups, thus making him the youngest to score a hundred in T20 World Cups.

Who is Yuvraj Samra?

Born in 2006 Indian parents in Brampton, Samra was named after Indian legend Yuvraj Singh. The left-hander was introduced to cricket by his father Baljit Singh, as Samra would accompany him to local cricket matches and quickly developed an interest in the game. Growing up, Samra gradually polished his skillset through local cricket programs and leagues.

At the domestic level, Samra played for Toronto District Cricket Association in the Brampton & Etobicoke District Cricket League. After impressing for Canada in a few tour matches, Samra made his ODI debut in a tri-nation series against Netherlands in 2025. Sooner, he made his T20I debut against Namibia before being named in the T20 world Cup 2026 squad.

Samra was finally dismissed for 110 off 65 balls, studded with 11 fours and six sixes, in the final over off the bowling of Jacod Duffy. Riding on Samra's hundred, Canada reached 173/4 in 20 overs. Samra had also forged an opening stand with captain Bajwa for Canada.

Yuvraj Samra's reaction after first hundred

Reacting after his maiden hundred, Samra revealed that he manifested this moment for a long time. “Honestly, I manifested this moment ever since we qualified for the World Cup. Every single day, I dreamed about scoring a hundred on this stage. To do it here, in my first appearance, and as the youngest player in this World Cup - it’s truly a dream come true,” he said.

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