Complete List of T20 World Cup Winners

The inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 showcased the potential of the shortest format in terms of drawing fans’ attention due to fast-paced and thrilling games. India’s World Cup win was start of the revolution, which captivated the cricket-watching audience in the years to come.

It certainly transformed cricket into one of the most lucrative sports in the world. The article will discuss about T20 World Cup winners list, how the major teams have performed in the showpiece events and which players have been the match-winners for their respective sides.

The T20 World Cups gave a great platform for the young talents to prosper and prove their skills against the world’s best sides. As time has passed, there have been evolution among the batters, bowlers and even the pitches as well.

The success of the T20 World Cup gave an account of the commercial viability of the shortest format, attracting sponsors, broadcasters, and advertisers. The move to hold the showpiece event every two years, redefined international cricket, and a different audience was created altogether for the T20s.

On that note, let’s delve straight into the T20 World Cup winners list and how different teams have performed over the years in the marquee event.

T20 World Cup winners list year-wise

Edition	Hosts	Winner	Runner-Up
2007	South Africa	India	Pakistan
2009	England	Pakistan	Sri Lanka
2010	West Indies	England	Australia
2012	Sri Lanka	West Indies	Sri Lanka
2014	Bangladesh	Sri Lanka	India
2016	India	West Indies	England
2021	UAE and Oman	Australia	New Zealand
2022	Australia	England	Pakistan
2024	USA and West Indies	India	South Africa

T20 World Cup 2007 – India

A total of 10 teams took part in the inaugural T20 World Cup, which was held in South Africa. New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia and India qualified for the semi-finals. Pakistan prevailed over New Zealand and India beat Australia to enter the final. Thereafter, Pakistan fell short by five runs, as India won their maiden T20 World Cup title under the leadership of MS Dhoni.

T20 World Cup 2009 – Pakistan

 

12 teams again participated in the showpiece event, which took place in England. Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies progressed to the knockouts. Then, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were the eventual finalists. Under the leadership of Younis Khan, Pakistan emerged as the T20 World Cup winners for the first time by beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets.

T20 World Cup 2010 – England

The 2010 edition of the T20 World Cup saw West Indies hosting the 12-team event. Sri Lanka, England, Pakistan and Australia managed to seal the semi-final spots. Then, the Paul Collingwood-led side secured an eight-wicket victory over Australia to win their first T20 World Cup title.

T20 World Cup 2012 – West Indies

A total of 27 games were played between 12 teams in the 2012 edition of the tournament in Sri Lanka. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Australia crossed the group stage hurdle to make the semi-finals. Thereafter, the Caribbean team led by Daren Sammy won the final by 36 runs to add their name to the T20 World Cup winners list.

T20 World Cup 2014 – Sri Lanka

The teams were increased from 12 to 16 in this edition, which was held in Bangladesh. Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa and India qualified for the semi-finals. Thereafter, India’s World Cup win was not possible, as they could only post 130 on the board against Sri Lanka, who sealed the chase under 18 overs.

T20 World Cup 2016 – West Indies

India hosted its first-ever T20 World Cup, with the participation of 16 teams. New Zealand, England, West Indies and India made their way to the semis. The Daren Sammy-led side created history by becoming the first team to emerge as T20 World Cup winners. Notably, Carlos Brathwaite slammed four sixes off England’s Ben Stokes to complete the chase of 156 runs

T20 World Cup 2021 – Australia

This edition was earlier scheduled to be hosted in Australia, but was shifted to UAE due to COVID-19. England, New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia played the semifinal. Out of them, Australia and New Zealand emerged victorious to book a final clash. Then, Australia secured a clinical eight-wicket victory to claim their maiden T20 WC title, under the leadership of Aaron Finch.

T20 World Cup 2022 – England

The last edition to be played among 16 teams was held in Australia. India, England New Zealand, Pakistan were the semi-finalists. Thereafter, the Jos Buttler-led England side completely dominated the Indian team to complete a 10-wicket victory and secured their second T20 World Cup title.

T20 World Cup 2024 – India

The 20-team tournament was co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States. South Africa, Afghanistan, India and England were the top four teams after the completion of the Super 8 stage. In the final, India held their nerves to completed a seven-run victory over the Proteas. As a result, they were the third team on the T20 world cup winners list with two titles.

Revisiting India’s World Cup wins

T20 World Cup 2007

 

After the ODI World Cup debacle in 2007, the senior Indian players opted out of the T20 World Cup scheduled later in the year. As a result, India were led by keeper-batter MS Dhoni, who led the young squad, which went on to make history.

Capetown, Johannesburg and Durban were the venues, which hosted the games of the 2007 edition of the T20 World Cup. India’s first game against Scotland ended in a draw due to rain, which put them under pressure to win their next game against Pakistan.

The arch-rivals were involved in a thriller, which was eventually tied. Then, the Indian team were pitch-perfect with their performance in the bowl-out to win 3-0 (Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa delivered an accurate throw) against Pakistan to qualify for Super 8s. Nevertheless, the Men in Green also qualified for the next stage, due to their victory against Scotland.

Then, India got off to a bad start in the Super 8, facing a 10-run loss against New Zealand. However, they managed to overcome the challenge of England, headlined by Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes. Then, the Men in Blue won by 37 runs against South Africa to qualify for the semi-finals.

In the semi-final, India posted a strong total of 188 against Australia and managed to win the game by 15 runs. S. Sreesanth was exceptional with his figures of 2/12 off four overs to help the side’s cause.

The final witnessed India posting 157 on the board against Pakistan. In response, the Misbah-ul-Haq-led side lost by just five runs, as India emerged as the T20 World Cup winners.

T20 World Cup 2024

India’s next T20 World Cup triumph came in 2024, which was held in the West Indies and the USA. The Rohit Sharma-led side prevailed over Ireland, Pakistan and USA to qualify for the Super 8. Then, the side continued their momentum against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. In their final Super 8 clash, India prevailed over reigning ODI World Cup winner, Australia to head into the knockouts with confidence.

Thereafter, the Indian team posted a 171-run total against England in the semi-finals and managed to win by 68 runs. In the final, India and South Africa engaged in a thrilling encounter, which saw the Men in Blue winning by seven runs. With this result, India ended their drought and emerged as the T20 World Cup winners for the second time.

Player of the Tournament in every T20 World Cup

It is the dream of every player to contribute to their side and help them emerge as T20 World Cup winners. Let’s check out the players who won the prestigious Player of the Tournament award over the years.

T20 World Cup 2007 – Shahid Afridi

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi emerged as the finest player in this edition with contributions of 91 runs and 12 wickets. His contribution helped the side to end as the runner-ups.

T20 World Cup 2009 – Tillakaratne Dilshan
Although, Sri Lanka could not win the final against Pakistan, Tillakaratne Dilshan played a key role in taking them to the finals. He scored 317 runs in seven innings at an average of around 53.

T20 World Cup 2010 – Kevin Pietersen

The swashbuckling batter, Kevin Pietersen helped the England side to etch their name among T20 World Cup winners list. He garnered 248 runs in six appearances at an average of 62.

T20 World Cup 2012 – Shane Watson

The talented all-rounder, Shane Watson was the Player of the Tournament awardee with 249 runs and 11 wickets to his name.

T20 World Cup 2014 – Virat Kohli

India faced a defeat in the final of the 2014 edition, as Sri Lanka emerged as T20 World Cup winners. Nevertheless, Virat Kohli shone bright with 319 runs in six appearances.

T20 World Cup 2016 – Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli emerged as the Player of the Tournament award winner in the 2016 edition, with 273 runs in five appearances. However, India faced a loss against West Indies in the semi-finals.

T20 World Cup 2021 – David Warner

Australia secured the T20 World Cup crown for the first time in the 2021 edition. David Warner emerged as the finest player with 289 runs in seven appearances.

T20 World Cup 2022 – Sam Curran

England all-rounder Sam Curran played a key role to help the side emerge as T20 World Cup winners. He took a total of 13 wickets in six appearances.

T20 World Cup 2024 – Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah emerged as the finest bowler in the T20 World Cup 2024, as the right-arm pacer picked 15 wickets. His efforts helped India to win the tournament.

FAQs on T20 World Cup winners