The Cricket World Cup is the most exciting watch for every cricket fan. From One Day Internationals to T20 Internationals, it is very impressive to watch some amazing play moments. Well, nothing is possible without good leadership. A good captain is responsible for leading the team to a win. We have all seen some unforgettable moments in these formats, from Clive Lloyd’s dominance to Kapil Dev’s iconic historic win. Each Captain has left a lasting mark on the game.
Read further to gather all the details about the amazing World Cup Winning Captains. Know about their leadership and moments of historic wins.
ODI World Cup Winning Captains
Here is the list of all the ODI World Cup Winning Captains:
| Year | Captain | Team | Final Opponent | Key Highlight |
| 1975 | Clive Lloyd | West Indies | Australia | Won by 17 runs; Lloyd’s 102 set the tone. |
| 1979 | Clive Lloyd | West Indies | England | Won by 92 runs; back-to-back calypso dominance. |
| 1983 | Kapil Dev | India | West Indies | Won by 43 runs; shocked defending champions. |
| 1987 | Allan Border | Australia | England | Won by 7 runs; first title for Australia. |
| 1992 | Imran Khan | Pakistan | England | Won by 22 runs; cornered tigers rally. |
| 1996 | Arjuna Ranatunga | Sri Lanka | Australia | Won by 7 wickets; record chase of 245. |
| 1999 | Steve Waugh | Australia | Pakistan | Won by 8 wickets; clinical victory. |
| 2003 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | India | Won by 125 runs; Ponting’s 140*. |
| 2007 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | Sri Lanka | Won by 53 runs (D/L); unbeaten run. |
| 2011 | MS Dhoni | India | Sri Lanka | Won by 6 wickets; Dhoni’s iconic six. |
| 2015 | Michael Clarke | Australia | New Zealand | Won by 7 wickets; Clarke’s farewell ton. |
| 2019 | Eoin Morgan | England | New Zealand | Won on boundary count after a super over tie. |
| 2023 | Pat Cummins | Australia | India | Won by 6 wickets; ended India’s unbeaten streak. |
- Clive Lloyd was the captain of the West Indies team during their victories at the ODI World Cup in 1975 and 1979. He introduced a new style of batting when he scored an amazing 102 runs in the first final, demonstrating the dominance of the West Indies’ explosive style of play known as Calypso cricket.
- Allan Border was the captain of the first-ever Australian team to win the ODI World Cup in 1987. He led his team to an incredible win over England by 7 runs when he showed determination and clever use of tactics.
- Kapil Dev was the captain of the Indian team that pulled off a huge upset at the 1983 ODI World Cup, beating the West Indies by 43 runs. He was an outstanding all-rounder, and his spectacular catch in Bermuda helped turn around the fortunes of the Indian team from being the underdogs to a champion team.
- Imran Khan was captain of the first Pakistani team to win the ODI World Cup in 1992, known as the “cornered tigers”. He was also influential in leading his team to victory through his innovative use of reverse swing and by delivering an emotional speech prior to the final match against England, in which they won by 22 runs.
- Sri Lanka’s Arjuna Ranatunga lifted his team to an unexpected victory at the 1996 World Cup, winning by 7 wickets thanks to Aravinda de Silva’s incredible century.
- Steve Waugh continued this success for Australia at the 1999 World Cup, where they defeated Pakistan with Waugh at the helm and Shane Warne as the frontrunner.
- Ricky Ponting was also a leader during the 2003 World Cup as captain of Australia, guiding them to victories over India (with a score of 140 not out) and Sri Lanka (in 2007 via D/L method).
- MS Dhoni brought home India their 2011 World Cup victory, hitting a memorable six to finish off the winning run against Sri Lanka with 6 wickets in hand, showing great composure in difficult situations.
T20I World Cup Winning Captains
T20 International is a very exciting and fun-filled format in the cricket world cup. It is a 20-20 over match that occurs in half of the day. The T20I World Cup started in 2007. Here is the list of T20I World Cup Winner Captains:
| Year | Captain | Team | Final Opponent | Key Highlight |
| 2007 | MS Dhoni | India | Pakistan | Won by 5 runs; Joginder Sharma’s yorker. |
| 2009 | Younis Khan | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Won by 8 wickets; chase of 138. |
| 2010 | Paul Collingwood | England | Australia | Won by 7 wickets; first for England. |
| 2012 | Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | West Indies | Won by 36 runs; Malinga’s 4/31. |
| 2014 | Daren Sammy | West Indies | Sri Lanka | Won by 72 runs; Chris Gayle’s 117 off 57. |
| 2016 | Daren Sammy | West Indies | England | Won by 4 wickets; Carlos Brathwaite’s last-over heroics. |
| 2021 | Aaron Finch | Australia | New Zealand | Won by 8 wickets; Wade’s 91*. |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler | England | Pakistan | Won by 5 wickets; chase of 138. |
| 2024 | Rohit Sharma | India | South Africa | Won by 7 runs; defended 176 in Barbados. |
- M.S. Dhoni (India), 2007. Undoubtedly, the champion of the inaugural T20 World Cup. India achieved its first T20 World Cup victory in an extraordinary match against the team from Pakistan.
- Younis Khan (Pakistan), 2009. The newest T20 World Cup champions. Pakistan won its first T20 World Cup championship after defeating the team from Sri Lanka.
- Paul Collingwood (England), 2010. The first ICC World Cup champion from England. England became the champion of the ICC World Cup after winning a match against Australia.
- Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), 2012. The captain of the team from Sri Lanka. Led Sri Lanka to the final, where they defeated the West Indies, to win the championship.
- Daren Sammy (West Indies), 2014. Captain of the West Indies. Led the West Indies to victory against the team from Sri Lanka, making him the first captain from the Caribbean to win a T20 World Cup.
- Daren Sammy (West Indies), 2016. Captained the West Indies to victory against England in a nail-biting final. This was Sammy’s second T20 World Cup title.
- Aaron Finch (Australia), 2021. Led the team from Australia to their first T20 World Cup title by defeating New Zealand.
- Jos Buttler (England), 2022. Led the team from England to a second T20 World Cup title against the team from Pakistan.
- Rohit Sharma (India), 2024. Lead the team from India to win the T20 World Cup by defeating the South African team and claim their second T20 World Cup.
Dual Format Champions
MS Dhoni is the only captain from India to have led the team to victory in both formats, the ODI World Cup during 2011 and also T20 World Cup during 2007. No other captains have led their respective teams to victories in these two World Cups (ODI and T20). Thus, MS Dhoni’s impact on white-ball cricket is exceptional. His calm nature, sound decision-making skills, along his encouragement of younger players (such as Virat Kohli) played very important roles in these tournaments.
Ricky Ponting and Clive Lloyd each won multiple championships at the ODI level, while Daren Sammy captured two championship titles at the T20 level. The repeat winners most often built winning teams by maintaining a positive team atmosphere and consistently adapting their game plans when necessary.
Final Verdict
Captains who led their teams to World Cup victories continue to have an influence on their players long after those teams have won titles, the captains shaped their teams into powerful, confident competitors with the ability to deal with pressure. Each of the captains had defined qualities or traits that inspired them to lead their teams in the current formats of cricket, including One Day International matches and Twenty20 Internationals, as a result of their leadership style.
Today, cricket fans around the globe remain inspired by the success generated through the captains’ leadership lessons and accomplishments, as well as their stories, which teach us that champions develop through strong vision, belief, and consistent effort over time.
