Know how India has fared in T20 World Cup history

The Indian cricket team has won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup twice in the inaugural edition in 2007 and in 2024 Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, followed by Rohit Sharma. In 2007, India beat Pakistan by five runs in the final at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. In 2024, India beat South Africa by seven runs in the final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

There have been nine T20 World Cups since the tournament's inception and India have gotten close to getting their hands on the trophy for the third time in a couple of those editions. With that in mind, here’s a closer look at how India have fared in 20-over World Cups.

How many times has India won the T20 World Cup: Know results

2007 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India became champions

MS Dhoni and co. started the tournament with a rain washout against Scotland before clinching a bowl-out win over Pakistan in the group stages to march into the Super 8s.

After a defeat against New Zealand in the Super 8s, the Men in Blue won their remaining games against England and South Africa before handing a crushing blow to Australia in the semi-final.

In the final match, India opted to bat first on a sunny morning in Johannesburg. Gautam Gambhir steered the Indian innings with a 52-ball 75 as India lost wickets at regular intervals. A late flurry from Rohit Sharma saw India reach a competitive score of 157/5 in 20 overs.

In reply, Pakistan kept losing wickets despite Imran Nazir’s initial onslaught. However, Pakistan eventually fell agonisingly short of the target by 5 runs to hand India their first and only T20 World Cup title win.

2009 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India suffer Super 8s exit

Unlike the first T20 World Cup, the second edition of the tournament was a rather disappointing one for India. They started the tournament well by beating Bangladesh and Ireland in Group A to qualify for the Super 8s.

However, they went on to endure a rather forgettable run in the Super 8s as they succumbed to defeats against West Indies, South Africa and England before crashing out of the tournament. Pakistan were the eventual winners of the 2009 T20 World Cup.  

2010 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India crash out in Super 8s again

India’s 2010 T20 World Cup campaign followed a similar pattern to their journey in the 2009 edition. They won both their group encounters against South Africa and Afghanistan but failed to carry their momentum into the Super 8s once again.

Defeats against Australia, West Indies and Sri Lanka meant that they exited in the Super 8s for a second consecutive edition of the T20 World Cup. England were the winners of the 2010 edition in what was their first-ever World Cup triumph across cricket’s white-ball formats.    

2012 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India succumb to third successive Super 8s exit

The 2012 edition of the T20 World Cup witnessed India make light work of their group stage opponents again. They registered convincing wins over Afghanistan and England in the group stage to head into the Super 8s with confidence.

Although India succumbed to a heavy loss in their first Super 8s match against Australia, they bounced back with wins over Pakistan and South Africa. However, despite being tied on points with Australia and Pakistan after three Super 8 matches, it wasn’t enough for the Men in Blue to progress due to an inferior net run rate. West Indies eventually won the 2012 edition of the T20 World Cup.

2014 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India endure heartbreak in final

Slotted in Group 2 with four other teams for the 2014 T20 World Cup, India began with a bang as they beat the likes of Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh and Australia to progress to the semi-finals in buoyant fashion.

The semi-final clash against South Africa saw India chase down a target of 173 with five balls and six wickets to spare. They went on to face Sri Lanka in the final and this where their unbeaten run in the tournament came to an end as the island nation chased down a target of 131 with six wickets and 13 balls to spare.

2016 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India crash out in semi-finals

As part of Group 2 with four more teams for the 2016 T20 World Cup, India had an underwhelming start to their campaign after losing by 47 runs to New Zealand in their opening match. The Men in Blue then recovered by registering three successive wins against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia to make it to the semi-finals.

They went on to face West Indies in the semi-final and fell short despite playing well. India posted 192 in the first innings, but West Indies chased down the target with three wickets and two balls in hand to qualify for the final, where they beat England to claim their second T20 World Cup.

2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India suffer group stage exit

The Indian cricket team was drafted in Super 12 Group 2 alongside Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021. The team started off with a crushing 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan, followed by an eight-wicket loss against New Zealand. These two defeats wobbled India's journey as the team was now dependent on how the Kiwis would fare. Unfortunately for them, New Zealand went on to win all of their remaining three matches to finish second in the points table which ended India's journey despite wins over Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia.

2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India knocked out in the semi-finals

The Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, were slotted in Group 2 for the Super 12s in Australia. India began the campaign by winning a last-over thriller against Pakistan, courtesy of Virat Kohli's unbeaten 82-run knock. It was followed by a comfortable victory against the Netherlands. However, South Africa ended India's winning streak in the 2022 edition.

India bounced back by beating Bangladesh by five runs in the next match. Following the Netherlands' win against South Africa, India sealed their semi-final berth in the ongoing edition before their final Super 12 game. Rohit Sharma and Co. finished with the most wins of any team in the Super 12s.

The Men in Blue later lost to eventual champions England by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final at the Adelaide Oval.

2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup: India lift the Trophy for the second time

In a blazing tournament for the Men in Blue, the Indian cricket team lifted the T20 World Cup Trophy for the second time since the inaugural edition. Both teams India and South Africa remained unbeaten in the tournament before meeting for the Final game at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. Electing to bat first, Rohit Sharma and the top-order collapsed. However, Virat Kohli smashed a fitting knock of 76 off 59 balls. Axar Patel contributed with a decent 47 off 31 balls as India completed their 20 overs with 176/7. 

In the second innings, Quinton de Kock (39) and Heinrich Klaasen (52) swayed the game in South Africa's favour. Aiden Markram's team needed just 30 out of 30 balls. But, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya's phenomenal spells turned the fate of the Indian contingent. A resilient bowling display steered the game towards India's win by seven wickets. 

Virat Kohli was awarded the Man of the Match, however, he announced his retirement from T20I cricket upon received the award. 

Photo credit: Jewel Samad / AFP