The eighth edition of ICC Champions Trophy is set to commence from 1st June and the top 8 teams will battle for the ultimate glory. The tournament which is termed as ‘Mini World Cup’ has been won by South Africa, West Indies, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia. South Africa and New Zealand won the first couple of editions in 1998 and 2000 respectively when the tournament was known as ICC Knockout Trophy.

Australia have claimed it twice whereas India too have won it twice, once in 2002 when they shared the trophy with Sri Lanka and then in the last edition in 2013. There have been various captains who lead their respective teams across all the editions of the tournament. Only a few captains though have been able to make a mark.

Here we take a look at the top 5 captains of Champions Trophy from its last seven editions.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-149248" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-1.jpg" alt="Australia Cricket Team Captain Ricky Ponting " width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149248" class="wp-caption-text">Australia Cricket Team Captain Ricky Ponting poses with The ICC Champions Trophy. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Ricky Ponting led the Australian side in the period when they were at the peak of their dominance in international cricket. Kangaroos won the title in back to back editions under his leadership in 2006 and 2009. Australia sauntered to their first Champions Trophy triumph in 2006 in India when they thrashed West Indies in a low-scoring final by 8 wickets. The invincible bowling attack of Bracken, Lee, Mcgrath and the aggressive field settings from their captain seldom gave the Caribbean side a chance to come back into the game.

Ricky Ponting-led Australian Team entered the ICC mega event in 2009 as the defending champions. But many believed they will fail to win it this time around as the legends of the team had retired. But there was one common thread and that was the leader of the side &#8211; Ricky Ponting. He knew how to get the best out of the lot and he did it by scoring a match-winning century himself in the semi-final against England. Eventually, Australia beat New Zealand in the final to become the first team to defend the title.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-147143" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/West-Indies-–-2004.jpg" alt="West Indies – 2004" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147143" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption>

Brian Lara is one of the greatest batsmen in the world cricket and his record speaks for that. Similarly, his team performed like a champion side when he was the captain. West Indies have an overwhelming record in the Champions Trophy. Brian Lara led side played three finals of the mega event only to win it once. They entered the final of the first edition in 1998 on the back of their captain’s unbeaten 60 against India but lost to South Africa.

In 2004, when the tournament was held in England, the Caribbean side triumphed over the hosts, thanks to the ninth wicket partnership between Browne and Bradshaw. Lara was once again at the helm while defending the championship in the next edition and just fell short in the final against the mighty Australians. Lara contributed very less with the bat all this while but managed to lead the side exceptionally well.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-147144" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/India-Sri-Lanka-Joint-Winner-–-2002.jpg" alt="India &amp; Sri Lanka Joint Winner – 2002" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147144" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption>

Sourav Ganguly, took over the reigns of the team post the fixing fiasco in Indian cricket. His first major ICC tournament as captain was the Knockout trophy in 2000. He led from the front and amassed 348 runs in only 4 matches at an average of 116. He also scored 2 blistering centuries including the one in the final only to end the tournament as the runners-up. But Ganguly had impressed one and all with his captaincy and the ability to lead from the front when it mattered the most.

In 2002, the tournament was renamed to ICC Champions Trophy but the performance of the Indian team under Ganguly remained the same. India stormed their way into the finals by beating the top sides like Zimbabwe, England and South Africa. India’s title clash was against the hosts Sri Lanka but rain played spoilsport twice in the finals, both on match day and the reserve day as well. India were declared as joint winners along with Sri Lanka and the new era under Ganguly had started.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-149249" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni of India " width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149249" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni of India poses with the Champions Trophy. (Photo by Christopher Lee-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)</figcaption>

MS Dhoni led India to one of the most famous wins in Champions Trophy in 2013 edition. India had entered the tournament with IPL spot-fixing scandal on their minds and very few gave them the chance of winning it given the hectic season and what had transpired before. But Dhoni and his men had different ideas and they started their journey by beating one of the favorites South Africa. The decision from the captain to send Rohit Sharma to open the batting was a master stroke.

India further went on to beat West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to set up the title clash against the hosts England. Once again the memories of 2002 started hovering around the minds of the fans and players when the final was delayed due to the unrelenting rain. But as the rain stopped, India triumphed over the hosts in a 20-over affair in which England looked favorites right through. Dhoni’s decision to throw the ball to Ishant Sharma against all the odds again proved decisive and turned the game in India’s favor. India won the Champions Trophy after 11 years and Dhoni became the first captain ever to win all the three ICC events.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-147136" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/South-Africa-1998-Champions-Trophy.jpg" alt="South Africa 1998 Champions Trophy" width="639" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147136" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption>

ICC Knockout Trophy was first held in 1998 and it was the first time all the 8 test playing nations were participating in a tournament apart from World Cups. Proteas won this trophy under the captaincy of Hansie Cronje and its significance increases more as they haven’t been able to win any ICC trophy since then. South Africa played their first match against England and chased down 283 comfortably.

In the semi-final, they outclassed Sri Lanka by defending 240 odd runs and then defeated WestIndies chasing 245 easily. Throughout the tournament, Cronje led his team really well and he himself scored 148 runs which included an unbeaten 61 in the final. He scored all his runs at a strike rate of around 91 which was commendable given the way cricket was played in the 90s. Cronje was an inspirational leader for Proteas and this year too, they would like to take him as an inspiration and win the trophy.

The eighth edition of ICC Champions Trophy is set to commence from 1st June and the top 8 teams will battle for the ultimate glory. The tournament which is termed as ‘Mini World Cup’ has been won by South Africa, West Indies, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia. South Africa and New Zealand won the first couple of editions in 1998 and 2000 respectively when the tournament was known as ICC Knockout Trophy. 
Australia have claimed it twice whereas India too have won it twice, once in 2002 when they shared the trophy with Sri Lanka and then in the last edition in 2013. There have been various captains who lead their respective teams across all the editions of the tournament. Only a few captains though have been able to make a mark.
Here we take a look at the top 5 captains of Champions Trophy from its last seven editions.
<h3>1 Ricky Ponting (Australia)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_149248" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149248" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-149248" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-1.jpg" alt="Australia Cricket Team Captain Ricky Ponting " width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149248" class="wp-caption-text">Australia Cricket Team Captain Ricky Ponting poses with The ICC Champions Trophy. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Ricky Ponting led the Australian side in the period when they were at the peak of their dominance in international cricket. Kangaroos won the title in back to back editions under his leadership in 2006 and 2009. Australia sauntered to their first Champions Trophy triumph in 2006 in India when they thrashed West Indies in a low-scoring final by 8 wickets. The invincible bowling attack of Bracken, Lee, Mcgrath and the aggressive field settings from their captain seldom gave the Caribbean side a chance to come back into the game.
Ricky Ponting-led Australian Team entered the ICC mega event in 2009 as the defending champions. But many believed they will fail to win it this time around as the legends of the team had retired. But there was one common thread and that was the leader of the side – Ricky Ponting. He knew how to get the best out of the lot and he did it by scoring a match-winning century himself in the semi-final against England. Eventually, Australia beat New Zealand in the final to become the first team to defend the title.

<h3>2 Brian Lara (West Indies)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_147143" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-147143" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-147143" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/West-Indies-–-2004.jpg" alt="West Indies – 2004" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147143" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption></figure>
Brian Lara is one of the greatest batsmen in the world cricket and his record speaks for that. Similarly, his team performed like a champion side when he was the captain. West Indies have an overwhelming record in the Champions Trophy. Brian Lara led side played three finals of the mega event only to win it once. They entered the final of the first edition in 1998 on the back of their captain’s unbeaten 60 against India but lost to South Africa.
In 2004, when the tournament was held in England, the Caribbean side triumphed over the hosts, thanks to the ninth wicket partnership between Browne and Bradshaw. Lara was once again at the helm while defending the championship in the next edition and just fell short in the final against the mighty Australians. Lara contributed very less with the bat all this while but managed to lead the side exceptionally well. 

<h3>3 Sourav Ganguly (India)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_147144" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-147144" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-147144" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/India-Sri-Lanka-Joint-Winner-–-2002.jpg" alt="India &amp; Sri Lanka Joint Winner – 2002" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147144" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption></figure>
Sourav Ganguly, took over the reigns of the team post the fixing fiasco in Indian cricket. His first major ICC tournament as captain was the Knockout trophy in 2000. He led from the front and amassed 348 runs in only 4 matches at an average of 116. He also scored 2 blistering centuries including the one in the final only to end the tournament as the runners-up. But Ganguly had impressed one and all with his captaincy and the ability to lead from the front when it mattered the most.
In 2002, the tournament was renamed to ICC Champions Trophy but the performance of the Indian team under Ganguly remained the same. India stormed their way into the finals by beating the top sides like Zimbabwe, England and South Africa. India’s title clash was against the hosts Sri Lanka but rain played spoilsport twice in the finals, both on match day and the reserve day as well. India were declared as joint winners along with Sri Lanka and the new era under Ganguly had started.

<h3>4 MS Dhoni (India)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_149249" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149249" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-149249" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni of India " width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149249" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni of India poses with the Champions Trophy. (Photo by Christopher Lee-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
MS Dhoni led India to one of the most famous wins in Champions Trophy in 2013 edition. India had entered the tournament with IPL spot-fixing scandal on their minds and very few gave them the chance of winning it given the hectic season and what had transpired before. But Dhoni and his men had different ideas and they started their journey by beating one of the favorites South Africa. The decision from the captain to send Rohit Sharma to open the batting was a master stroke.
India further went on to beat West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to set up the title clash against the hosts England. Once again the memories of 2002 started hovering around the minds of the fans and players when the final was delayed due to the unrelenting rain. But as the rain stopped, India triumphed over the hosts in a 20-over affair in which England looked favorites right through. Dhoni’s decision to throw the ball to Ishant Sharma against all the odds again proved decisive and turned the game in India’s favor. India won the Champions Trophy after 11 years and Dhoni became the first captain ever to win all the three ICC events.

<h3>5 Hansie Cronje (South Africa)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_147136" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-147136" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-147136" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/South-Africa-1998-Champions-Trophy.jpg" alt="South Africa 1998 Champions Trophy" width="639" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147136" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption></figure>
ICC Knockout Trophy was first held in 1998 and it was the first time all the 8 test playing nations were participating in a tournament apart from World Cups. Proteas won this trophy under the captaincy of Hansie Cronje and its significance increases more as they haven’t been able to win any ICC trophy since then. South Africa played their first match against England and chased down 283 comfortably. 
In the semi-final, they outclassed Sri Lanka by defending 240 odd runs and then defeated WestIndies chasing 245 easily. Throughout the tournament, Cronje led his team really well and he himself scored 148 runs which included an unbeaten 61 in the final. He scored all his runs at a strike rate of around 91 which was commendable given the way cricket was played in the 90s. Cronje was an inspirational leader for Proteas and this year too, they would like to take him as an inspiration and win the trophy.

The eighth edition of ICC Champions Trophy is set to commence from 1st June and the top 8 teams will battle for the ultimate glory. The tournament which is termed as ‘Mini World Cup’ has been won by South Africa, West Indies, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia. South Africa and New Zealand won the first couple of editions in 1998 and 2000 respectively when the tournament was known as ICC Knockout Trophy. 
Australia have claimed it twice whereas India too have won it twice, once in 2002 when they shared the trophy with Sri Lanka and then in the last edition in 2013. There have been various captains who lead their respective teams across all the editions of the tournament. Only a few captains though have been able to make a mark.
Here we take a look at the top 5 captains of Champions Trophy from its last seven editions.
<h3>1 Ricky Ponting (Australia)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_149248" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149248" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-149248" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-1.jpg" alt="Australia Cricket Team Captain Ricky Ponting " width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149248" class="wp-caption-text">Australia Cricket Team Captain Ricky Ponting poses with The ICC Champions Trophy. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Ricky Ponting led the Australian side in the period when they were at the peak of their dominance in international cricket. Kangaroos won the title in back to back editions under his leadership in 2006 and 2009. Australia sauntered to their first Champions Trophy triumph in 2006 in India when they thrashed West Indies in a low-scoring final by 8 wickets. The invincible bowling attack of Bracken, Lee, Mcgrath and the aggressive field settings from their captain seldom gave the Caribbean side a chance to come back into the game.
Ricky Ponting-led Australian Team entered the ICC mega event in 2009 as the defending champions. But many believed they will fail to win it this time around as the legends of the team had retired. But there was one common thread and that was the leader of the side &#8211; Ricky Ponting. He knew how to get the best out of the lot and he did it by scoring a match-winning century himself in the semi-final against England. Eventually, Australia beat New Zealand in the final to become the first team to defend the title.

<h3>2 Brian Lara (West Indies)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_147143" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-147143" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-147143" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/West-Indies-–-2004.jpg" alt="West Indies – 2004" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147143" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption></figure>
Brian Lara is one of the greatest batsmen in the world cricket and his record speaks for that. Similarly, his team performed like a champion side when he was the captain. West Indies have an overwhelming record in the Champions Trophy. Brian Lara led side played three finals of the mega event only to win it once. They entered the final of the first edition in 1998 on the back of their captain’s unbeaten 60 against India but lost to South Africa.
In 2004, when the tournament was held in England, the Caribbean side triumphed over the hosts, thanks to the ninth wicket partnership between Browne and Bradshaw. Lara was once again at the helm while defending the championship in the next edition and just fell short in the final against the mighty Australians. Lara contributed very less with the bat all this while but managed to lead the side exceptionally well. 

<h3>3 Sourav Ganguly (India)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_147144" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-147144" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-147144" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/India-Sri-Lanka-Joint-Winner-–-2002.jpg" alt="India &amp; Sri Lanka Joint Winner – 2002" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147144" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption></figure>
Sourav Ganguly, took over the reigns of the team post the fixing fiasco in Indian cricket. His first major ICC tournament as captain was the Knockout trophy in 2000. He led from the front and amassed 348 runs in only 4 matches at an average of 116. He also scored 2 blistering centuries including the one in the final only to end the tournament as the runners-up. But Ganguly had impressed one and all with his captaincy and the ability to lead from the front when it mattered the most.
In 2002, the tournament was renamed to ICC Champions Trophy but the performance of the Indian team under Ganguly remained the same. India stormed their way into the finals by beating the top sides like Zimbabwe, England and South Africa. India’s title clash was against the hosts Sri Lanka but rain played spoilsport twice in the finals, both on match day and the reserve day as well. India were declared as joint winners along with Sri Lanka and the new era under Ganguly had started.

<h3>4 MS Dhoni (India)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_149249" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149249" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/05/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-149249" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni of India " width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149249" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni of India poses with the Champions Trophy. (Photo by Christopher Lee-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
MS Dhoni led India to one of the most famous wins in Champions Trophy in 2013 edition. India had entered the tournament with IPL spot-fixing scandal on their minds and very few gave them the chance of winning it given the hectic season and what had transpired before. But Dhoni and his men had different ideas and they started their journey by beating one of the favorites South Africa. The decision from the captain to send Rohit Sharma to open the batting was a master stroke.
India further went on to beat West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to set up the title clash against the hosts England. Once again the memories of 2002 started hovering around the minds of the fans and players when the final was delayed due to the unrelenting rain. But as the rain stopped, India triumphed over the hosts in a 20-over affair in which England looked favorites right through. Dhoni’s decision to throw the ball to Ishant Sharma against all the odds again proved decisive and turned the game in India’s favor. India won the Champions Trophy after 11 years and Dhoni became the first captain ever to win all the three ICC events.

<h3>5 Hansie Cronje (South Africa)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_147136" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-147136" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-147136" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/South-Africa-1998-Champions-Trophy.jpg" alt="South Africa 1998 Champions Trophy" width="639" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-147136" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: ICC)</figcaption></figure>
ICC Knockout Trophy was first held in 1998 and it was the first time all the 8 test playing nations were participating in a tournament apart from World Cups. Proteas won this trophy under the captaincy of Hansie Cronje and its significance increases more as they haven’t been able to win any ICC trophy since then. South Africa played their first match against England and chased down 283 comfortably. 
In the semi-final, they outclassed Sri Lanka by defending 240 odd runs and then defeated WestIndies chasing 245 easily. Throughout the tournament, Cronje led his team really well and he himself scored 148 runs which included an unbeaten 61 in the final. He scored all his runs at a strike rate of around 91 which was commendable given the way cricket was played in the 90s. Cronje was an inspirational leader for Proteas and this year too, they would like to take him as an inspiration and win the trophy.

A dive into the memory lane to have a look at the most successful captains in the history of the tournament

Top 5 Captains in Champions Trophy history

The eighth edition of ICC Champions Trophy is set to commence from 1st June and the top 8 teams will battle for the ultimate glory. The tournament which is