Defending T20I champions India retain top spot ahead of England tour

T20 world champions India retained the number one spot on the latest team rankings in the shortest format. With the England T20Is looming after IPL 2026, the Men in Blue will travel as the top-ranked team. After becoming the first team to defend the T20 crown successfully—doing so on home soil—Suryakumar Yadav’s side maintained pole position on the rankings updated on Tuesday (May 5).

Team India has 275 points, while England is second (262), followed by Australia at three (258).

The Indian T20I side peaked during their dominant run between 2024 and 2026, winning all T20I series in between and two scheduled World Cups, one in the Americas (2024) and the next one at home (2026). While India beat the Proteas in the finale in Barbados, which also happened to be veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja’s final T20I game, SKY’s team crushed the Kiwis in a lop-sided final earlier in March.

However, the top seven rankings remained unchanged from the previous update, with New Zealand (4th with 247 points), South Africa (5th with 244 points), Pakistan (6th with 240 points) and the West Indies (7th with 233 points). Sri Lanka, the former champions and co-host of the recently concluded edition, slipped to an embarrassing ninth spot. On the other hand, Bangladesh, despite missing the 2026 edition over a venue row, sits in eighth place.

Afghanistan sit in 10th place with 220 points, with Zimbabwe and Ireland retaining their respective 11th and 12th spots.
Meanwhile, cricket’s growing presence across North America has helped Team USA gain two spots and six points (13th), surpassing the ICC regulars, the Netherlands (14th) and Scotland (15th).

Italy, which made its ICC debut during the previous edition, jumped three places (from 26th to 23rd), gaining 11 points. The European side, known for its dominance in football otherwise, secured its maiden World Cup win against Nepal (by 10 wickets) during the group stages.

Team India’s T20I schedule against England –

• 1st T20I: July 1, 2026 – Riverside Ground, Chester-Le-Street
• 2nd T20I: July 4, 2026 – Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
• 3rd T20I: July 7, 2026 – Trent Bridge, Nottingham
• 4th T20I: July 9, 2026 – Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
• 5th T20I: July 11, 2026 – The Rose Bowl, Southampton