5 captains with no wins in their first six matches in T20I cricket ft. Shreyas Iyer
Several captains had a dismal start to their leadership journey in T20I cricket.
T20I cricket is the most unpredictable format. In the shortest format, the outcome of many matches is often decided in the final over.
Both teams are in the game until the chasing team scores the winning run. It’s a crucial reason why bagging consecutive victories in the shortest format is the most challenging thing to do.
Moreover, winning matches in T20I cricket is never easy for any captain, especially during the early stages of leadership. A few skippers even went through their first few T20I matches without tasting victory, finding themselves under immense pressure from fans and management.
On that note, below are the top five captains with no victories in at least their first six games as T20I captains.
Skippers with no wins in their first six encounters in T20I
5. Shakib Al Hasan – Bangladesh (2009-2017)
Shakib Al Hasan commenced his T20I captaincy of Bangladesh in August 2009. Bangladesh clashed with the West Indies in a one-off T20I in Basseterre, which they lost by five wickets.
Later, the spin all-rounder also lost a one-off T20I against New Zealand in Hamilton in February 2010. In May, the Asian team lost two matches against Pakistan and Australia in the 2010 T20 World Cup. He was replaced as the captain after the campaign.
After seven years, in October 2017, the Shakib Al Hasan-led side faced a 0-2 whitewash against South Africa in a T20I series.
Hence, the former Bangladesh captain lost his first six T20Is as skipper during an eight-year tenure. Hasan’s first win eventually came against Sri Lanka in the Nidahas T20I Tri-Series in Colombo in March 2018.
4. Elton Chigumbura – Zimbabwe (2010- 2015)
Former Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura took over the captaincy of Zimbabwe in the shortest format in June 2010. He lost his first two games against India and subsequently suffered two consecutive defeats against South Africa in October.
Later, he captained the national team once again in May 2015 in an away T20I series against Pakistan; however, he finished on the losing end again.
Two months later, on July 17 in Harare, the Zimbabwe team led by Chigumbura defeated India in the first T20I match, helping their captain snap a losing streak.
3. Brendan Taylor – Zimbabwe (2006- 2013)
Former Zimbabwe wicket-keeper Brendan Taylor is another captain who could not win his first six T20Is. He led the team for the first time in a T20I against Bangladesh in November 2006, losing by 43 runs. Four years later, he lost against West Indies and South Africa in 2010.
In September 2011, he failed to propel the team to victory against Pakistan in Harare. In October, he led the side in the second and last T20I against New Zealand but lost by 34 runs.
He went on to lose 10 consecutive games at the start, before his first victory against Bangladesh by six runs in May 2013.
2. Thisara Perera – Sri Lanka (2017-2018)
Thisara Perera is one of the incredible seam all-rounders to play for Sri Lanka, who featured in 84 T20Is from 2010 to 2021. Although he has an impressive record in bowling, he could not replicate the same with his captaincy.
The former right-arm pacer led Sri Lanka for the first time in a T20I series against Pakistan in October 2017 in the UAE. Sri Lanka lost all three games. Later, in December 2017, he suffered defeats in two matches against India, and then lost to India again in the Nidahas Trophy Tri-Series in March 2018.
After losing his first seven matches as T20I captain, he led the team to a two-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the same tri-series. Perera captained Sri Lanka in nine T20I games, winning just one and losing eight.
1. Shreyas Iyer – India (2026)
Unfortunately, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer is another name on this list. Iyer took the reins of the T20I side in June 2026 by replacing Suryakumar Yadav. In his first assignment in a two-match T20I series against Ireland, he suffered a shocking 0-2 whitewash.
His losing streak continues, as he lost four consecutive matches against England in July. Therefore, the right-handed batter lost six games at the start of his leadership stint and is the only Indian captain with this unwanted record.
Interestingly, despite winning the toss in all six of these matches, Shreyas Iyer & Co. could not defeat the opposition.
Which Indian captain has lost the first six games in T20I cricket?
Shreyas Iyer is the only Indian captain to lose his first six games in T20I cricket.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.