T20 World Cup: Most successful captains (match wins)
What's the story
The 2026 Men's ICC T20 World Cup will be underway on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. Since the inaugural edition (2007), several players have led their sides from the front in the mega tournament. MS Dhoni, who became a household name that year, has won the most matches while leading. Here are the most successful captains in the T20 World Cup.
#1
MS Dhoni (India): 21 wins
A long-haired young boy from Ranchi, Dhoni led India to the T20 World Cup title in 2007. The ground-breaking achievement started a wave of T20 cricket across the globe. Dhoni went on to lead India in five other T20 World Cup campaigns. Under him, India won 21 and lost 11 matches. This includes the historic Bowl-Out win against Pakistan in 2007.
#2
Kane Williamson (New Zealand): 14 wins
Like Dhoni, New Zealand's Kane Williamson made a mark with his astute captaincy across formats. Between 2016 and 2024, the latter led the Kiwis to 14 wins in 21 T20 World Cup matches. They lost seven games under his leadership. Notably, Williamson still has the highest individual score as captain in a T20 World Cup final (85 vs Australia, 2021).
#3
Rohit Sharma (India): 12 wins
In 2024, Rohit Sharma became the second Indian captain to win a T20 World Cup title. He led India to a famous win against South Africa in the final. Rohit, who also led India in the 2022 event Down Under, has won 12 of his 14 matches as captain. His win percentage (85.71) is the best for a captain in the T20 World Cup.
Information
Oldest captain with this record
At 37 years and 60 days, Rohit remains the oldest captain to win a T20 World Cup title. According to ESPNcricinfo, he is also the second-oldest captain to win an ICC tournament final.