Varun Chakaravarthy becomes No.1 T20I bowler in ICC rankings for first time

Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy on Wednesday rose to the top of the ICC T20 Bowlers' Rankings for the first time in his career, becoming only the third Indian to achieve this feat.

The 34-year-old emulated fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi by moving up three spots following spells of 1/4 against the UAE and 1/24 in against Pakistan.

Chakaravarthy, whose previous best was second place in February 2025, displaced New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy, who had held the top position since March.

"India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been rewarded for his consistent form in 2025 by becoming the No.1 ranked bowler on the latest ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings," the ICC said in a statement.

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has made a significant leap, jumping 16 places to 23rd, while spin all-rounder Axar Patel has moved up one place to 12th.

Bumrah has also improved his position, rising four spots to 40th.

In the all-rounders' rankings, Hardik Pandya continues to hold the top spot, while Abhishek Sharma has climbed four places to 14th.

Abhishek has also consolidated his position at the top of the T20 batting rankings. His explosive innings of 30 off 16 balls against the UAE and 31 off 13 against Pakistan have helped him achieve a career-high 884 rating points.

His opening partner Shubman Gill has moved up four places to 39th. However, Tilak Varma and captain Suryakumar Yadav have slipped in the rankings.

Tilak is down two spots to fourth, while Suryakumar has dropped one position to seventh. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was not included in the Asia Cup squad, has also fallen two places to 13th.

The England opening pair of Phil Salt and Jos Buttler have advanced one spot each to second and third positions, respectively, after their scintillating performances in the second T20 against South Africa in Manchester.

Salt's 141 not out off 60 balls, which was the highest score and the fastest T20 century by an England batter, inched back towards his career-best No. 1 position while Buttler’s 83 off 30 helped him attain a career-high 794 rating points and make a first appearance inside the top three.