Latest ICC T20I Rankings: Abhishek, Tilak in Top 3; Phil Salt Slides

In a year full of exciting IPL matches and big changes in world cricket, Tilak Varma's rise to No. 3 in the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings has quietly become one of the most surprising and impressive stories. The 21-year-old left-hander didn’t play a single T20I during the IPL 2025 season, yet his rating jumped to 804 points. This helped him move ahead of England’s Phil Salt and India’s Suryakumar Yadav in the rankings. Now, only Travis Head (856) and Abhishek Sharma (829), another young Indian star, are ahead of him.

Tilak Varma Rises in Rankings Despite Underwhelming IPL Season

Tilak Varma’s IPL 2025 season with Mumbai Indians didn’t quite live up to the hype. In fact, it turned out to be his most low-key season so far. He made 343 runs at an average of 31.18 and a strike rate of 138.3, not bad numbers, but not what people expected from someone seen as India’s next big T20 star.

Still, his strong performances for India earlier in the year, along with a dip in form from players like Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, helped him climb the rankings. When others slipped, Tilak quietly took his chance and moved ahead.

Suryakumar Yadav Drops in Rankings Despite Strong IPL

One of the most interesting twists this year is the fall of India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav. Not long ago, he was the clear No. 1 in the world. Now, he’s slipped to sixth place in the rankings with 739 points.

What makes it surprising is that SKY had a brilliant IPL season. He scored 717 runs more than any other middle-order batter in IPL history and was named the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2025.

But ICC rankings don’t just look at IPL performances. They’re based on how a player does in international matches over time. And because Suryakumar had a dip in form earlier in the year, it’s come back to hurt him in the rankings.

Latest ICC T20I batting rankings

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