ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners List: From 2007 to 2022

The 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup is upon us, and for the first time ever, it's being held in the United States. This could mark a significant shift in the dynamics of the sport, potentially positioning the T20 format as the main global version of cricket. As we witness the surging popularity of T20 cricket, let's explore the history of the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, starting from its inception in 2007 up to 2022. We'll also take a look at the winners over the years and make some predictions for the 2024 tournament.

ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners List:

Year	Venue	Winners	Runners Up	Top Scorer	Top Wicket Taker	Player of the Series
2007	South Africa	India	Pakistan	Matthew Hayden	Umar Gul	Shahid Afridi
2009	England	Pakistan	Sri Lanka	Tillakaratne Dilshan	Umar Gul	Tillakaratne Dilshan
2010	West Indies	England	Australia	Mahela Jayawardene	Dirk Nannes	Kevin Pietersen
2012	Sri Lanka	West Indies	Sri Lanka	Shane Watson	Ajantha Mendis	Shane Watson
2014	Bangladesh	Sri Lanka	India	Virat Kohli	Ahsan Malik, Imran Tahir	Virat Kohli
2016	India	West Indies	England	Tamim Iqbal	Mohammad Nabi	Virat Kohli
2021	Oman & UAE	Australia	New Zealand	Babar Azam	Wanindu Hasaranga	David Warner
2022	Australia	England	Pakistan	Virat Kohli	Wanindu Hasaranga	Sam Curran
2024	West Indies and USA	India	South Africa	Rahmanullah Gurbaz	Fazalhaq Farooqi	Jasprit Bumrah

2007 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winner – Indian Cricket Team

In 2007, the Indian cricket team made history by winning the first-ever ICC T20 World Cup, held in South Africa. Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, an underdog Indian team clinched the title by defeating Pakistan in a nail-biting final match. The final, played in Johannesburg, saw India win by a narrow margin of 5 runs.

India’s journey to the championship was remarkable. They won five matches leading up to the final, losing only once to New Zealand in the Super 8s. One of the tournament's highlights was Yuvraj Singh hitting six sixes in one over against England. Another memorable moment was India’s victory over Pakistan in the group stages, which was decided by a thrilling bowl-out. Pakistan's Shahid Afridi was named Player of the Series for his outstanding performance throughout the tournament. Matthew Hayden of Australia scored the most runs in the tournament with 265, while Pakistan’s Umar Gul took the most wickets, with a total of 7. This victory meant that India was the first team to win both the ODI World Cup (in 1983) and the T20 World Cup. 

Also Read: India's 2011 Cricket World Cup Victory

2009 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners – Pakistan Cricket Team

Pakistan were named the 2009 T20 World cup winners after they beat Sri Lanka comfortably at Lord’s thanks to an all-round, man of the match performance by Shahid Afridi. This victory was particularly sweet for Pakistan, coming two years after they finished as runners-up in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Pakistan’s journey to the title was filled with ups and downs. They faced an early setback, losing their opening match to England. In the Super 8 stage, they also lost to Sri Lanka. However, the team demonstrated resilience and skill, bouncing back to secure victories when it mattered most.

Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan was the standout player of the series, scoring the most runs in the tournament with 317. Pakistan’s Umar Gul was once again the top wicket-taker, claiming 13 wickets throughout the competition.

2010 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners – England

England were crowned the 2010 T20 Cricket World Cup Winners after beating their arch Ashes Rivals - Australia in the finals by 7 wickets. After winning the tournament being hosted in West Indies, England not only became world champions in any format for the first time, but also the first non Asian team to lift the trophy. For a brisk 63 run knock and his partnership with Kevin Pietersen, Craig Keiswetter was named the man of the match in the finals. Kevin Pietersen's consistent contributions throughout the tournament earned him the Player of the Series award.

The tournament saw Mahela Jayawardene from Sri Lanka top the run charts with 302 runs, while Australia's Dirk Nannes was the highest wicket-taker, claiming 14 wickets.

2012 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners – West Indies

The West Indies Cricket Team became the 2012 T20 World Cup winners by defeating the hosts, Sri Lanka, in the final. The West Indies won convincingly by 36 runs, thanks largely to Marlon Samuels, who scored a crucial 78 runs in the final. Throughout the competition, the West Indies played like the favourites and lit up the tournament with their explosive batting, flare, and charismatic players, which became difficult for other teams to contain. 

Australia’s Shane Watson had an outstanding tournament, finishing as both the top run-scorer with 249 runs and the Player of the Series due to his all-round performance. Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis was the highest wicket-taker, with 15 wickets.

Also Read: Chris Gayle - The Universe Boss

2014 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners – Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka eventually became the 2014 T20 World Cup winners, just 2 years after their loss to West Indies, by beating India in a comfortable run chase. The tournament hosted in Bangladesh saw Virat Kohli go berserk and score runs in every game. He played a brilliant knock in the finals against Sri Lanka too, but the contributions from other batsmen weren’t enough for India to put forth a winning total. While in the chase, Kumar Sangakkara played a comfortable knock of 52 runs to steer the match in Sri Lanka’s favour, winning them their first ever T20 World Cup trophy. 

This victory was particularly significant for Sri Lanka, as it provided a fitting farewell to their retiring legends, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. Virat Kohli had an exceptional tournament, finishing as both the top run-scorer with 319 runs and the Player of the Series. South Africa’s Imran Tahir and the Netherlands’ Ahsan Malik were the leading wicket-takers, each with 12 wickets.

2016 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners – West Indies

One of the most thrilling and nail biting finals of a T20 Cricket World was the 2016 England vs West Indies T20 world cup final. With 19 needed of the final over, Carlos Braithwaite smacked Ben Stokes for 4 consecutive maximums, winning the finals at Eden Gardens for the Windies, and we all remember Ian Bishop’s commentary that followed. West Indies' win made them the first team to win the T20 World Cup twice, their first win being in 2012.

During the tournament, Virat Kohli was named Player of the Series for his outstanding performance, and Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal was the top run-scorer with 295 runs. Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi led the wicket-taking charts with 12 wickets.

2021 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners – Australia

The 2021 T20 World Cup was a forgettable tournament for India, who failed to even move on to the knockouts phase. But this tournament proved to be great for Australia, as they would go onto to win the trophy for the first time in their history. Australia won their first ICC T20 World Cup title by defeating New Zealand in the final held in Dubai, by an impressive eight-wickets, chasing down a target of 173 runs with seven balls to spare. The star of the final was Mitchell Marsh, who played a brilliant knock, scoring 77 runs off 50 balls and remaining unbeaten. His performance earned him the Player of the Match award and was crucial in securing Australia's historic win.

Throughout the tournament, Pakistan's captain Babar Azam was the top run-scorer with 303 runs, while Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga led the wicket-taking charts with 16 wickets.

2022 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners – England

In 2022, England won their second ICC T20 World Cup title by defeating Pakistan in the final held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia. This victory made England the second team, after the West Indies, to win the T20 World Cup twice. In the final, England's bowlers put up a strong performance, restricting Pakistan to just 137 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Ben Stokes played a crucial role in the chase, scoring a vital half-century that led England to victory. They achieved the target in 19 overs with five wickets in hand, finishing at 138 for 5. Sam Curran was a standout player for England, earning the Player of the Match in the final and the Player of the Series for his consistent performances throughout the tournament. 

In the overall tournament, Virat Kohli was the top run-scorer, amassing 296 runs, while Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga took the most wickets, with 15 dismissals.

2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Winners – India

The Indian Cricket Team finally broke the curse of the ICC Trophy by lifting the cup after beating South Africa in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup Final. Batting first, India lost early wickets of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav cheaply. Virat Kohli stood at one end of the innings steering it and helped India's total to 176 runs in 20 overs. South Africa, too had a bad start to the chase but their middle order did well to bring the equation in their favour. Heinrich Klaasen had almost snatched victory away from India's hand, but India's pace trio, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh bounced back with a legendary come back, beating South Africa by 7 runs. The match was a complete roller coaster ride, with the miracle that India had been chasing for years finally arriving. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Fazalhaq Farooqi were the top run scorers and wicket takers in the tournament, and were pivotal in helping Afghanistan Reach the Semis of the tournament.

Also Read: ICC Cricket World Cup Winners | ICC Cricket World Cup Winning Captains

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