T20 World Cup Winning Captains List All Time : Complete List by Year

Every T20 World Cup has its own story. Some finals are remembered for a last-over finish, some for one outstanding innings, and a few because a team simply runs away with the game.

The captains who lifted the trophy have been just as varied.

From MS Dhoni in the first edition in 2007 to Suryakumar Yadav in 2026, the T20 World Cup has had nine different winning captains. Only Daren Sammy has managed to win the men's tournament twice.

Here is the complete list, followed by the moments that made some of these wins memorable.

T20 World Cup Winning Captains ? Year by Year:

Year	Champion	Winning Captain	Runner-up	Final Result
2007	India	MS Dhoni	Pakistan	India won by 5 runs
2009	Pakistan	Younis Khan	Sri Lanka	Pakistan won by 8 wickets
2010	England	Paul Collingwood	Australia	England won by 7 wickets
2012	West Indies	Daren Sammy	Sri Lanka	West Indies won by 36 runs
2014	Sri Lanka	Lasith Malinga	India	Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets
2016	West Indies	Daren Sammy	England	West Indies won by 4 wickets
2021	Australia	Aaron Finch	New Zealand	Australia won by 8 wickets
2022	England	Jos Buttler	Pakistan	England won by 5 wickets
2024	India	Rohit Sharma	South Africa	India won by 7 runs
2026	India	Suryakumar Yadav	New Zealand	India won by 96 runs

The first Men's T20 World Cup was played in 2007, and India won that inaugural tournament under Dhoni.

There was no tournament in 2018, 2019 or 2020, which explains the jump from 2016 to 2021.

2007 ? MS Dhoni and the Start of Something New:

Nobody knew in 2007 how big T20 cricket would become.

India's squad itself was interesting. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid were not part of the tournament, leaving a relatively young side under MS Dhoni.

The final against Pakistan became an instant classic.

India had 157 on the board. Pakistan needed a few more runs with Misbah-ul-Haq at the crease, and Dhoni gave the final over to Joginder Sharma.

It worked.

Misbah tried to scoop the ball over fine leg but picked out Sreesanth instead. India won by five runs and Dhoni became the first captain to lift the T20 World Cup.

2009 ? Younis Khan:

Pakistan got another chance two years later and this time there was no last-over drama.

Younis Khan captained Pakistan to the title in England. Sri Lanka made 138/6 in the final at Lord's, and Pakistan chased it with eight wickets in hand.

Shahid Afridi finished the match with an unbeaten 54.

Pakistan were T20 world champions.

2010 ? Paul Collingwood:

England's first men's ICC World Cup title came in the shortest format.

Paul Collingwood was captain when England faced Australia in Barbados. Australia scored 147/6, but England's chase never became particularly uncomfortable.

Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen helped set up the chase, and England reached the target with seven wickets left.

For a country that had waited so long for a men's global limited-overs title, it was a big moment.

2012 ? Daren Sammy:

West Indies had plenty of natural T20 talent, but turning that talent into a World Cup title was another matter.

That changed in 2012.

Daren Sammy was captain when West Indies met Sri Lanka in the final in Colombo. The innings nearly slipped away at one point ? West Indies were 87/5 ? before Marlon Samuels produced 78 from 56 balls.

West Indies eventually won by 36 runs.

Sammy had his first T20 World Cup trophy. He would have another one four years later.

2014 ? Lasith Malinga:

Sri Lanka had been on the wrong side of several major ICC finals before 2014.

They finally got over that hurdle in Dhaka.

Lasith Malinga captained Sri Lanka against India. India made 130/4, but Sri Lanka's chase was steady and they got home with six wickets remaining.

Kumar Sangakkara, who was playing his final T20 international, finished the tournament with the trophy he had been chasing for years.

Sri Lanka had finally won the T20 World Cup.

2016 ? Sammy Does It Again:

This final needs very little introduction.

West Indies were chasing 156 against England in Kolkata. Going into the last over, they needed 19 runs.

Then Carlos Brathwaite hit four sixes in four balls from Ben Stokes.

Game over.

West Indies won with two balls left, and Daren Sammy became the first ? and still the only ? captain to win the Men's T20 World Cup twice. ICC records also note that West Indies became the first team to win the tournament twice.

That remains one of the most recognisable finishes in T20 World Cup history.

2021 ? Aaron Finch:

The tournament returned after a five-year gap, with Australia finally getting their name on the T20 World Cup trophy.

Aaron Finch was captain in the UAE when Australia faced New Zealand in the final.

New Zealand made 172/4. David Warner then gave Australia a flying start, while Mitchell Marsh finished the job with an unbeaten 77.

Australia won by eight wickets.

It was their first T20 World Cup title.

2022 ? Jos Buttler:

England had another captain lifting the trophy the following year.

Jos Buttler led England in Australia and faced Pakistan in the final at the MCG.

Pakistan managed 137, but England's bowlers had already done much of the damage. Ben Stokes then stayed there until the job was finished, scoring an unbeaten 52.

England won by five wickets.

It also gave England a rare white-ball double: they held both the ODI and T20 World Cup titles.

2024 ? Rohit Sharma:

India's second T20 World Cup title took 17 years.

Rohit Sharma was captain when India faced South Africa in Barbados. India posted 176/7, with Virat Kohli making 76.

South Africa were well placed during the chase, but the Indian bowlers found a way back into the match. Hardik Pandya bowled the final over, and India eventually won by seven runs. ICC records India as the second-time champions after this victory.

For Rohit, it was the end of a long wait.

2026 ? Suryakumar Yadav:

India did not have to wait long for another one.

Suryakumar Yadav captained India in the 2026 tournament, and the final was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad against New Zealand.

India scored 255/5.

New Zealand never got close. India bowled them out for 159 and won by 96 runs. Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets.

The result gave India their third T20 World Cup title and made them the first men's team to successfully defend the trophy.

Suryakumar was the latest captain to join the list.

Which Captain Has Won the T20 World Cup Twice?

Only one.

Daren Sammy ? 2012 and 2016.

Here is the complete captain count:

Captain	Titles	Winning Years
Daren Sammy	2	2012, 2016
MS Dhoni	1	2007
Younis Khan	1	2009
Paul Collingwood	1	2010
Lasith Malinga	1	2014
Aaron Finch	1	2021
Jos Buttler	1	2022
Rohit Sharma	1	2024
Suryakumar Yadav	1	2026

India now have three titles, while West Indies and England have two each. The remaining champions ? Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia ? have one apiece.

The Captains Behind the Trophy:

There isn't really a single pattern among these winning captains.

Dhoni was leading a young Indian side in the very first tournament. Younis Khan brought Pakistan their first T20 title. Collingwood gave England their first men's ICC World Cup trophy.

Sammy stands alone because he did it twice. Malinga's Sri Lanka finally ended their run of ICC final defeats. Finch helped Australia win the one major T20 trophy missing from their cabinet. Buttler continued England's white-ball success.

Then India returned to the top with Rohit and, two years later, Suryakumar.

That's a pretty good snapshot of how T20 cricket itself has changed.

T20 World Cup Winning Captains: Quick Facts:

• First winning captain: MS Dhoni
• Only two-time winning captain: Daren Sammy
• Latest winning captain: Suryakumar Yadav
• Most titles by a team: India ? 3
• First champion: India, 2007
• Latest champion: India, 2026
• Biggest win in a T20 World Cup final by runs: India's 96-run win over New Zealand in 2026

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

From Dhoni to Suryakumar:

The winning-captain list is short enough to remember, but the stories behind it are anything but similar.

Dhoni had the first one. Sammy has two. Rohit ended India's long wait, while Suryakumar followed him almost immediately.

And then there are the finals themselves ? Joginder Sharma's last over, Brathwaite's four sixes, India's seven-run escape in Barbados and the 96-run finish in Ahmedabad.

Those moments are really what make a list like this worth looking back at.