T20 World Cup winners: India most successful nation with three titles - full list

In the 10 editions so far, six teams have won the T20 World Cup. Know the full list of winners.

The T20 World Cup is an international cricket championship, usually held once every two years.

The inaugural men’s Twenty20 edition, featuring 12 teams, was held in South Africa in 2007. The Indian cricket team, led by MS Dhoni, was crowned the champions after beating Pakistan by five runs in the final at Johannesburg.

Legendary West Indian Chris Gayle made an immediate impact to kick off the first edition of the T20 World Cup. He sent the very first ball of the tournament to the fence before smashing a remarkable 117 against the hosts – making the first ever T20I century in the process.

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From bowl-outs to Yuvraj Singh taking six sixes off one Stuart Broad over and Misbah-ul-Haq’s infamous scoop in the final, that first tournament proved a historic first edition with India emerging as the inaugural champions after beating Pakistan in the final.

Six different teams have lifted the trophy over the years, with the West Indies, England and India the only nations to have won it multiple times.

India have won the most T20 World Cup titles (thrice) and are the only team to successfully defend their crown. West Indies and England are both two-time champions.

T20 World Cup winners list

                      World Cup Winners List

Year Winner         Runners-Up    Hosts

2007 India           Pakistan            South Africa

2009 Pakistan            Sri Lanka            England

2010 England           Australia                  West Indies

2012 West Indies      Sri Lanka                   Sri Lanka

2014 Sri Lanka         India                            Bangladesh

2016 West Indies     England                     India

2021 Australia        New Zealand             UAE and Oman

2022 England        Pakistan                      Australia

2024 India        South Africa             USA and West Indies

2026 India        New Zealand              India and Sri Lanka

India were the first champions of the T20 World Cup, which started in 2007.

Pakistan avenged their loss to India by claiming victory in 2009, as Shahid Afridi shone with both bat and ball in England. The tournament also saw the hosts stunned by the Netherlands in one of the all-time great upsets.

The England cricket team responded a year later in the Caribbean by winning their first men’s white-ball trophy as Kevin Pietersen earned Player of the Tournament honours for his efforts with the bat.

Then in 2012, West Indies joined the party by triumphing in Sri Lanka, with Marlon Samuels (78) and Sunil Narine (3-9) the stars of the show in the final.

They beat the hosts to lift the trophy that year, but Sri Lanka bounced back by winning in 2014 to ensure Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene bowed out of the format in style. The 2014 T20 World Cup featured 16 teams.

The West Indies were back on top of the world two years later thanks to Carlos Brathwaite’s four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes in the last over of the 2016 final in Kolkata, a moment etched in cricket’s collective memory thanks Ian Bishop’s immortal “remember the name” call on commentary.

After a five-year absence, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup resumed in 2021 as the Australian cricket team claimed its first title. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh were the heroes in the final against New Zealand.

A year later, it was England who triumphed for a second time, ensuring they held both the T20 and ODI world titles. Sam Curran stole the show that year and was both named Player of the Match in the final and Player of the Tournament for his all-round contributions.

In 2024, the tournament expanded from 16 teams to 20, with the USA, Canada and Uganda making their debuts.

The Americans, co-hosting alongside the West Indies, seized their opportunity with a stunning Super Over victory over Pakistan as they progressed to the Super 8 stage. Afghanistan also enjoyed a dream run, making it to the semi-finals of a major ICC tournament for the first time.

Virat Kohli saved his best for last in the final with 76, but that did not look like it would be enough until a magical spell from Jasprit Bumrah derailed South Africa’s chase and set up a seven-run victory for India.

As with Sangakkara and Jayawardene a decade earlier, this proved to be a final farewell for two modern greats as Kohli and Rohit Sharma both called time on their international T20 careers.

India scripted history in the 2026 edition, which they co-hosted with Sri Lanka, to become the first nation to ever successfully defend a T20 World Cup title.

With Sanju Samson playing a pivotal role with the bat and Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy shining with the ball, a Surya kumar Yadav-led side beat New Zealand in the final to claim their third crown.

The edition also saw Italy make their bow in the tournament and Zimbabwe pulling off some major upsets in the group stage to qualify for the Super 8.

Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter in the T20 World Cup history with 1292 runs in 35 matches.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is the top wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup, recording 50 scalps in 43 matches between 2007 and 2024.