Captaining a team in a high-octane tournament like the T20 World Cup is not an easy task. With a lot of things at stake, a skipper needs to be at his absolute best to execute strategies and guide his team to glory.
The T20 World Cup has seen a few captains display their strategic acumen at a relatively young age, leading their teams to title triumphs.
In this article, we’ll look at the 5 youngest captains to win the T20 World Cup.
1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India) | 26 Years and 79 Days
MS Dhoni was given the charge of the Indian team just before the 2007 inaugural T20 World Cup. The keeper-batter led an inexperienced squad, with the senior players opting out of the tournament.
No one gave this rookie team a chance to win the tournament, but MS Dhoni guided the Men in Blue to the trophy with strategic brilliance. When India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the final, Dhoni was 26 years and 79 days old, making him the youngest captain to win the T20 World Cup.
2. Daren Sammy (West Indies) | 28 Years and 292 Days
The West Indies had a mixed outing in the 2010 edition, hosted in their backyard, as they failed to make it to the knockouts. Daren Sammy took over the captaincy of the Windies team a year before the 2012 iteration.
The all-rounder led the team to their first-ever T20 World Cup win, dashing the hosts, Sri Lanka, in the summit clash. Sammy was 28 years and 292 days old at the start of the final, making him the second-youngest captain to clinch the trophy.
3. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) | 30 Years and 221 Days
After Sri Lanka’s regular skipper Dinesh Chandimal was handed a 1-match suspension for maintaining a slow over-rate during a group stage match, Lasith Malinga was tasked with leading the team in their last group game.
This was the first time Malinga was at the helm of the Sri Lankan team in T20Is. Chandimal was supposed to return for the knockout stage, but he opted out of the games and let Malinga captain the team.
With only 2 matches as skipper, the Yorker King scripted history by guiding Sri Lanka to the 2014 T20 World Cup triumph. Slinga Malinga was 30 years and 221 days old at that time, making him the third-youngest captain.
4. Younis Khan (Pakistan) | 31 Years and 204 Days
After coming close to winning the whole thing in 2007, Pakistan clinched the silverware in the next edition under the aegis of Younis Khan.
Similar to MS Dhoni, Younis was also handed the reigns right before the tournament got underway in England. His astute leadership helped Pakistan storm into the final and beat Sri Lanka.
Younis Khan was 31 years and 204 days old when Pakistan lifted the trophy. Interestingly, Younis’ T20I captaincy stint lasted for this edition only.
5. Jos Buttler (England) | 32 Years and 66 Days
Jos Buttler was made England’s full-time T20I captain a few months before the 2022 T20 World Cup. He repaid the faith shown by the team management by guiding England to their second T20 World Cup triumph.
The keeper-batter was 32 years and 66 days old when the English side defeated Pakistan in the final at the MCG.
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