The latest ICC Women’s T20I rankings update at the end of 2025 tells a story far deeper than routine number shuffles.
It reflects a decisive shift in the balance of power in women’s cricket, driven by India’s historic year across formats and capped by a commanding 5–0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in December. What stands out is not just India’s results, but the manner in which individual performances have converged into a collective dominance that is now redefining the global T20I landscape .
At the heart of this transformation is the resurgence of Shafali Verma. Once the youngest world No.1 in T20I batting, Verma’s career has been a study in early brilliance, inevitable scrutiny, and now, technical maturity. Her rise to sixth in the latest rankings, climbing four places, has been powered by a remarkable series against Sri Lanka in which she scored 236 runs in four innings at an average of 118 and a strike rate above 185.
More telling than the numbers was the nature of those innings. Unbeaten scores of 69, 79* and 79 showed a batter who has learned to pace herself, balance aggression with control, and bat deep into the innings.
This evolution marks a significant shift from the high-risk approach that once defined her game. Verma’s improved base, cleaner vertical-bat shots and better strike rotation against spin suggest a player built not just for powerplays, but for the full 20 overs. The gap between her and world No.1 Beth Mooney has now narrowed to around 60 rating points, underlining how close she is to reclaiming the summit.
Alongside Verma stands Smriti Mandhana, whose consistency continues to anchor India’s batting order. Retaining her third position in the rankings, Mandhana’s series highlight came in the fourth T20I, where her fluent 80 off 48 balls powered India to a record 221/2. That innings also carried historical weight, as Mandhana crossed 10,000 international runs, becoming only the second Indian woman after Mithali Raj to achieve the feat. Reaching the milestone in fewer matches than Mithali further cements her status as one of the most complete batters the women’s game has seen.
The Mandhana–Verma partnership has now emerged as the most intimidating opening combination in women’s T20Is. Their record 162-run stand in Thiruvananthapuram was not just a statistical anomaly, but a tactical statement. India can now dominate games at the top, often rendering middle-order contributions secondary.
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That has had knock-on effects in the rankings, with Jemimah Rodrigues slipping to tenth despite a match-winning 69* in the series opener. In contrast, Richa Ghosh’s explosive cameos ensured she climbed rapidly, highlighting how impact, not volume, increasingly shapes rankings in modern T20 cricket.
If India’s batting has been ruthless, their bowling unit has been historic. Deepti Sharma’s continued reign as the world’s top-ranked T20I bowler has now been accompanied by an all-time record. During the series, she surpassed Megan Schutt to become the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20I history. Her ability to operate across phases — powerplay, middle overs and even at the death makes her arguably the most versatile bowler in the format. With 738 rating points, she remains the benchmark for consistency and control.
Renuka Singh Thakur’s return to the top tier of the rankings further underlines India’s bowling depth. Climbing to joint sixth, her rise was fuelled by a devastating 4/21 spell in the third T20I that broke Sri Lanka’s resistance early. Having worked extensively on fitness and variations at the National Cricket Academy, Renuka now looks well-equipped for conditions beyond the subcontinent, an encouraging sign ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in England and Wales.
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Perhaps the most striking ranking movements, however, came from India’s emerging spin resources. Left-arm spinner Shree Charani jumped 17 places to 52nd, while debutant Vaishnavi Sharma surged an astonishing 390 places to 124th after her first international series. Such leaps are rare and underline how effectively India’s domestic and youth systems are feeding into the senior setup. These gains also give India enviable tactical flexibility, allowing them to rotate bowlers without diluting quality.
From Sri Lanka’s perspective, the rankings paint a more sobering picture. Hasini Perera’s jump of 114 places to 71st was a rare positive, while Chamari Athapaththu continued to carry the batting burden. But the gulf in depth was evident across the five matches, with Sri Lanka often competitive in phases but unable to sustain pressure.
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Taken together, the December 2025 rankings encapsulate a broader truth. India are no longer just contenders in women’s T20Is; they are setting the standards. With a technically reborn Shafali Verma, a milestone-driven Smriti Mandhana, a record-breaking Deepti Sharma and a fast-expanding bowling bench, India head towards the 2026 T20 World Cup as the team everyone else must measure themselves against.
