T20 World Cup Winning Captains List Year by Year

The T20 World Cup winning captains list features every captain who led their team to the men's ICC T20 World Cup title from 2007 to 2026. From MS Dhoni's historic win with India in the inaugural edition to Suryakumar Yadav's triumph in 2026, each captain has played a part in the tournament's history.

Below is the complete year-by-year list of T20 World Cup champions, winning captains and final opponents, along with highlights from some of the tournament's most memorable victories.

Here is the full list of T20 World Cup winning captains by year.

T20 World Cup Winning Captains List:

The interesting part is how different these winning teams were. Some were packed with established stars, while others found players producing their best cricket at exactly the right time.

MS Dhoni Started the List in 2007:

The first name on the list is MS Dhoni.

India entered the inaugural T20 World Cup without quite knowing what to expect from the new format. Dhoni's young side eventually reached the final against Pakistan, and the match went down to the last over.

India won by five runs, with Joginder Sharma bowling the final over and Dhoni keeping his faith in him. That decision became one of the early defining moments of the tournament.

Two years later, Pakistan had their answer. Younis Khan led Pakistan to the 2009 title at Lord's, beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets. Shahid Afridi played a major role in the final, scoring an unbeaten 54.

West Indies and England Added Their Names:

Paul Collingwood became England's first men's white-ball World Cup-winning captain in 2010. England beat Australia in the final in Barbados, chasing down Australia's total with three overs still left.

Then came Darren Sammy.

Sammy's name appears twice in the table because West Indies won the tournament in both 2012 and 2016. The first victory came in Sri Lanka, where Marlon Samuels scored 78 in the final and Sunil Narine finished with 3/9.

The second title had a very different ending.

West Indies needed 19 from the final over against England in Kolkata in 2016. Carlos Brathwaite hit Ben Stokes for four sixes in a row. That was enough. Even people who weren't watching the match probably heard about it afterwards.

Sri Lanka, Australia and England Had Their Moments:

Sri Lanka's 2014 victory gave Lasith Malinga a place on the list. Sri Lanka defeated India by six wickets in the final, with Kumar Sangakkara finishing the tournament in memorable fashion. It was also the final T20I appearance for Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Australia had to wait longer for its first T20 World Cup. That finally changed in 2021 under Aaron Finch. Australia beat New Zealand by eight wickets in Dubai, with Mitchell Marsh scoring an unbeaten 77.

England won again in 2022. Jos Buttler's side defeated Pakistan in the final at Melbourne, with Sam Curran playing a key role with the ball. England also became the first men's team to hold the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup titles at the same time.

Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav Bring India Back:

India's second T20 World Cup came in 2024, 17 years after the first one.

Rohit Sharma was the captain that time. India beat South Africa by seven runs in Barbados after South Africa looked well placed during the chase. The win also marked the end of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's T20I careers.

Then came 2026.

Suryakumar Yadav led India to the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad. India scored 255/5, the highest total in a T20 World Cup final, and bowled New Zealand out for 159. The 96-run win gave India its third T20 World Cup and made them the first side to successfully defend the title.

So the latest addition to the list is Suryakumar Yadav.

A Few Numbers from the Winners' List:

India now has three T20 World Cup titles ? 2007, 2024 and 2026.

West Indies and England have won it twice each. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia have one title apiece.

And there is one captain who stands apart: Darren Sammy. He is the only captain to have lifted the men's T20 World Cup twice.

From Dhoni in 2007 to Suryakumar in 2026, Ten editions have produced ten winning-captain entries, with Darren Sammy appearing twice. It also shows how quickly the tournament has changed. New teams, new captains and new match-winners keep appearing, but the pressure of that final has stayed the same.

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