It has been almost two decades since the ICC Twenty20 World Cup began. In 2007, India won the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in a thrilling manner.

The first edition of the World Cup featured 12 teams. The 10th edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup begins in India and Sri Lanka on Saturday, with 20 nations taking part. Six different nations have won the Twenty20 World Cup in the past. West Indies, England and defending champions India have won the title twice each. Before the new edition begins, here are some memories from the past.

Cricket's new format

The 21st century has brought T20 cricket to the forefront. This format has become a favorite of many. When it was first introduced in English county cricket, there were many doubts about the format. Initially, it was seen as a way to attract people to the game and make it easier for a wider audience. 

Since it was first played professionally in 2003, it has been adopted around the world. The Twenty20 World Cup has taken the tournament to new heights since its inception in 2007, and its impact was immediately felt. West Indies great Chris Gayle hit a four on the first ball of the inaugural match of the Twenty20 World Cup. In that match, he scored 117 runs against home team South Africa, which also became the first century in Twenty20 Internationals. 

Yuvraj Singh's six sixes in an over against England bowler Stuart Broad in the group stage match between India and Pakistan and the unforgettable scoop shot by Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq in the final against arch-rivals India made the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup historic.

India's stunning victory over Pakistan in the final not only set the course for the modern structure, but also marked the beginning of the upheaval that would come to the Twenty20 World Cup in the decades to come. 

Memorable moments 

Pakistan avenged their defeat in the final of the previous edition in the 2009 World Cup. Shahid Afridi is a player who was born for the Twenty20 format. In England, he gave Pakistan the title with a brilliant performance with both bat and ball. It was this tournament where the home team England was shocked by the Netherlands. It is considered one of the most incredible results of the World Cup. 

A year later, England responded by winning the title in the Caribbean. This was England's first success in the World Cup. Kevin Pietersen became the 'Player of the Series' with his batting. In 2012, it was the turn of the West Indies to win the title. The West Indies showed their influence in Sri Lanka. In the final against Sri Lanka, Marlon Samuels scored 78 runs and Sunil Narine took 3 wickets for 9 runs to help the West Indies win the title. 

Sri Lanka made a comeback in 2014. They were champions before Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were dismissed from T20Is in style. West Indies were back on top in 2016. All this was possible because of Carlos Brathwaite. He hit England's Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes in the final over of the final in Kolkata. Ian Wissop made it even more memorable with his commentary, saying 'remember the name'.

After a five-year hiatus, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup was back in 2021, where Australia emerged victorious for the first time. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh were the heroes in the final against New Zealand. A year later, England became champions again on Australian soil. This time, it was Sam Curran's turn to be the hero. He was named both 'Player of the Final' and 'Player of the Series'.

is becoming global

In 2024, the number of competing teams was increased from 16 to 20. This opportunity was seized by the USA, Canada and Uganda to play the World Cup for the first time. The tournament hosted by the USA, along with the West Indies, saw some very unexpected results. The USA defeated Pakistan in the Super Over and reached the Super ‘Eight’. Afghanistan also set a golden journey.

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli seemed to have saved his best ‘form’ for the final. He scored 76 runs in the title clash against South Africa, while Jasprit Bumrah threw a miraculous ‘spell’ as India won a thrilling 7-run victory. Like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in previous editions, modern cricket great Kohli and Indian captain Rohit Sharma ended their international Twenty20 careers with the World Cup title. This means that in 2026, i.e. this edition, there will be some new faces. Italy will also be new to the competing team.

Unforgettable moment

2007: Yuvraj Singh's 6 sixes 

In the first edition of the Twenty20 World Cup, left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh made history by hitting 6 sixes in a single over off Stuart Broad. He was the fourth player to achieve such a feat. Earlier, Gary Sobers, Ravi Shastri and Herschelle Gibbs had also hit 6 sixes in a single over. But Yuvraj was the first to write history in Twenty20 cricket. 

Not only did India score a huge total with Yuvraj's aggressive batting, at the age of 25 at the time, he completed his half-century in just 12 balls. This was the shortest half-century in Twenty20 Internationals. A record that stood until 2023. Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airi not only broke Yuvraj's record by scoring a half-century in 9 balls at the Asian Games in China, but also set a record that will never be surpassed.

2009: Afridi's best performance

Shahid Afridi provided relief to Pakistan in 2009, which had been devastated by their defeat in the final against arch-rivals India two years earlier. In 2007, Afridi was not without the 'Player of the Series', but Pakistan had to hand over the title to India. That was when Afridi put in another spirited performance.

He performed exceptionally in the semi-final against South Africa. His all-round performance helped Pakistan reach the final for the second time in a row. Afridi scored 51 runs off 34 balls as Pakistan batted first and scored 149-4. Pakistan won the match by 7 runs after taking the wickets of Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers for just 16 runs in 4 overs.

Afridi also produced another sensational performance in the final against Sri Lanka at Lord's. He scored an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls as Pakistan chased down the target of 139 with 8 balls to spare. Pakistan won their first major title since winning the ODI World Cup in 1992 under the leadership of Imran Khan.

2010: Hussey's magic in the semi-finals

The West Indies hosted the 2010 World Cup in the Caribbean, where Australia's Mike Hussey played one of the greatest innings in the history of Twenty20 cricket. He scored an unbeaten 60 off 24 balls, hitting 3 fours and 6 sixes, as Australia chased down the 192-run target against Pakistan in the semi-final by scoring 197 runs with 1 ball to spare. 

When Hussey came on to bat at number seven, Australia needed 87 runs off 45 balls to win. Hussey delivered a sensational victory for Australia with his amazing batting. In the last over, when Australia needed 18 runs to win, Hussey hit 1 four and 3 sixes off Saeed Ajmal. Due to Hussey's performance, Pakistan missed out on reaching the final for the third time in a row.

2012: West Indies' success with Narine's bowling

West Indies won the Twenty20 World Cup for the first time after Sunil Narine showed his bowling magic in the 2012 final. Magical spinner Narine took 3 wickets for just 9 runs in 3.4 overs, and Sri Lanka, who were set a target of 138 runs, were all out for 101 runs in 18.4 overs. Narine took the crucial wicket of captain Mahela Jayawardene and dismissed the last batsman Lasith Malinga to give West Indies a dramatic victory. After Narine's excellent bowling, the Sri Lankan team was disappointed in front of the home fans. 

2014: Herath's miraculous bowling

The league stage match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand was such that the winner would reach the semi-finals. Rangana Herath bowled brilliantly and took 5 wickets for just 3 runs, helping Sri Lanka win the crucial match. 

Batting first, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 119 runs by New Zealand. After Herath destroyed the top-order batting, New Zealand was bowled out for 60 runs in 15.3 overs. Herath was also responsible for the run-outs of both New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson. That is, New Zealand could not withstand Herath anywhere that day. 

2016: Carlos Brathwaite, 'May the name be remembered'

Carlos Brathwaite became a great player by hitting four consecutive sixes in the 2016 World Twenty20 final. With 19 runs needed to win in the last over, West Indies looked close to losing to England. However, Brathwaite stood in front of Ben Stokes. After he delivered the first four balls of the last over to the audience, the World Cup trophy returned to the Caribbean once again. A special moment was when Ian Wissop made a great statement on the commentary, 'Carlos Brathwaite, may the name be remembered.'

2021: Australia champion on the strength of Mars

Australia's Mitchell Marsh played a winning innings against New Zealand in the 2021 final. Marsh scored an unbeaten 77 off 50 balls, giving Australia a target of 173 runs with 7 balls to spare. Marsh, along with David Warner, took Australia close to victory with captain Aaron Finch out early. Marsh made full use of his power hitting. Marsh became the undisputed 'Player of the Final' in an easy 8-wicket win for Australia.

2022: Stokes' rebirth

This was not only England's second Twenty20 World Cup title, England became the first nation to win the Twenty20 and ODI World Cups simultaneously. Stokes, in particular, managed to erase the dark spot he had suffered in 2016. In the final, Sam Curran took 3 wickets for 12 runs as England restricted Pakistan to 137-8. In reply, England had scored 45 for 3. Stokes scored an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls, including 5 fours and 1 six, as England won the World Cup with an over to spare. Stokes succeeded in turning his villainous image into a hero.