T20 World Cup: Captains who led their teams to glory (2007-2022)

The T20 World Cup 2024 is down the corner, and the world is preparing for it. The pitches are almost ready in New York for the Marquee event, and the Caribbean countries are too. The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup will be absolutely fun to watch since 20 nations will take part and play across two nations, the Windies and the USA. Before this season, there were eight other seasons where teams played in the World Cup, and only one team became the champion. 

While MS Dhoni won the trophy in the inaugural year, 2007, England's Jos Buttler lifted the trophy in 2022. The Caribbean captain, Daren Sammy, has had the privilege to lift the trophy multiple times. However, in this esteemed competition, Paul Collingwood of England, Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka, and Younis Khan of Pakistan have all triumphed once.

Let's discuss the eight captains who have won the T20 World Cup:

7. Jos Buttler (2022)

In the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, England's captain, Jos Buttler, won the trophy with his teammates. The finals were held at the MCG, where the game was low-scoring. It was England's game from the start, as they won the toss and elected to field first. Moreover, they chased down the target of 138 runs by five wickets, and England lifted the trophy. 

6. Aaron Finch (2021)

The match between the neighboring countries, New Zealand and Australia, ended on a great note for the men in yellow as they chased 173 runs at the loss of just two wickets. Undoubtedly, Australia outplayed New Zealand in all three departments of the game, and hence, Aaron Finch had the opportunity to lift the trophy along with his teammates. Australia's performance throughout the tournament was excellent, so they deserved to win the trophy. 

5. Daren Sammy (2012 and 2016) 

Daren Sammy is the only captain to have won the T20 World Cup within a span of four years. In 2012, the Windies defeated the Sri Lanka side in the finals, and in 2016, they defeated the mighty England team, who had outplayed the other teams in the tournament. However, just one bad day at work was enough for the Caribbean nation to clinch victory. 

4. Lasith Malinga (2014)

This was one heartbreaking final for all the Indian fans as Sri Lanka defeated India after having a good outing in the entire World Cup. Even though Virat Kohli scored 77 runs off 58 balls, India just scored 130 runs. Sri Lanka chased down the score with two overs to spare. It was Lasith Malinga's first tournament as a captain, and he easily managed to win the cup. 

3.  Paul Collingwood (2010)

The 2010 T20 World Cup finals were played between England and Australia, where the English team managed to clinch victory by chasing a score of 148 runs. Craig Keiswetter's 63 runs off 49 balls and Kevin Pietersen's 47 runs off 31 balls helped England win their first T20 World Cup. It was an easy win as they chased the score in the 17th over with seven wickets in hand.

2. Younis Khan (2009)

After losing against India in the 1st edition of the World Cup, Pakistan managed to win the 2nd one after defeating Sri Lanka in the finals. Like in other finals, this game was also a low-scoring match as Sri Lanka could score only 138 runs in the first innings. In the 2nd innings, thanks to Shahid Afridi's 54 runs and Kamran Akmal's 37 runs, Pakistan won the finals by eight wickets. 

1. MS Dhoni (2007)

The first edition of the World Cup holds a special place in the hearts of the Indians as they defeated Pakistan to lift their first T20 World Cup trophy. Playing under a new and inexperienced captain, MS Dhoni, the young boys proved everyone wrong. Thanks to Gautam Gambhir's 75 runs and Rohit Sharma's 30 runs, India defeated a strong Pakistan team to win the finals.