Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has climbed to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings, becoming only the third Indian to top the global list after Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi.
The 34-year-old moved up three places following impactful performances in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Chakaravarthy delivered an exceptional spell of 1/4 in two overs against the UAE and followed it up with 1/24 in four overs against Pakistan, helping India dominate in the group stages.
Chakaravarthy previously reached the No. 2 ranking in February 2025 and now surpasses New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy, who held the top spot since March.
Asia Cup 2025 sparks bowling leaderboard shake-up
The latest weekly ICC rankings update saw several bowlers from participating Asia Cup nations make significant gains:
- Nuwan Thushara (Sri Lanka): up six places to No. 6
- Sufiyan Muqeem (Pakistan): up four places to No. 11
- Abrar Ahmed (Pakistan): up 11 places to a career-best No. 16
- Axar Patel (India): up one place to No. 12
- Kuldeep Yadav (India): up 16 places to No. 23
- Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan): up eight places to No. 25
- Jasprit Bumrah (India): up four places to No. 40
- Tanzim Hasan Sakib (Bangladesh): up five places to No. 42
Outside Asia, England’s Jofra Archer (up to No. 13) and South Africa’s Marco Jansen (up to No. 38) also advanced following strong T20I outings.
Abhishek Sharma holds top spot in ICC T20I batting rankings
On the batting front, India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to lead the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings with a dominant rating of 884 points. His recent knocks of 30 off 16 vs UAE and 31 off 13 vs Pakistan helped him consolidate his position.
England duo climb into top three
Phil Salt (England) rose to No. 2 after his 141* off 60 balls — the highest T20I score and fastest century by an England batter. Jos Buttler also surged to a career-high 794 rating points after scoring 83 off 30, making his debut in the top three.
Other notable T20I batting gains
- Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka): up to No. 6
- Dewald Brevis (South Africa): up two places to No. 11
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan): up two places to No. 19
- Mohammad Waseem (UAE): up to No. 20
- Aiden Markram (South Africa): up 10 places to No. 30
- Shubman Gill (India): up four places to No. 39
- Sahibzada Farhan (Pakistan): up 18 places to No. 55
The Asia Cup 2025 has not only provided thrilling on-field action but is also reshaping the global T20I rankings landscape — with Indian players making their presence felt at the very top.
