The T20 World Cup 2026 is right on the horizon as teams gear up for the global showpiece in India and Sri Lanka that kicks off on February 7. The Men in Blue are tipped to be strong contenders to win the World Cup and achieve what no other team has ever done in the past.
No team has won a T20 World Cup at home, no side has defended the trophy, and no one has ever won three T20 crowns. All of this history is up for grabs for India if they go on to win the thing.
The Men in Blue have been winning series after series for fun under Suryakumar Yadav, who has also found form in India's last T20I assignment against New Zealand before the tournament. But where do India rank on T20I rankings as we are set to enter the World Cup? Let's check the ranking of India and the teams participating in the tournament.
India the top-ranked team in the world
India are the top-ranked T20I team on the planet. The defending champions have been the World No.1 side for a long time now. They have a rating of 273, 12 ratings clear of the second-ranked side, Australia.
Where are the other contesting teams ranked?
Australia, the 2021 champions, are ranked second with a rating of 261, while the 2022 winners, England, are third with 259 ratings. New Zealand and South Africa complete the top five with 251 and 241 ratings, respectively.
India's fellow group-stage side, Pakistan, who have decided not to play the league stage game against India, are sixth with 238 ratings. West Indies stand on seventh (234), Sri Lanka on eighth (227), excluded Bangladesh are ninth (223), while Afghanistan are 10th in the standings (222).
Check the detailed rankings
| Rankings | Team | Ratings | Playing T20 WC 2026 |
| 1 | India | 273 | Yes |
| 2 | Australia | 261 | Yes |
| 3 | England | 259 | Yes |
| 4 | New Zealand | 251 | Yes |
| 5 | South Africa | 241 | Yes |
| 6 | Pakistan | 238 | Yes |
| 7 | West Indies | 234 | Yes |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | 227 | Yes |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 223 | |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 222 | Yes |
| 11 | Ireland | 201 | Yes |
| 12 | Zimbabwe | 200 | Yes |
| 13 | Netherlands | 182 | Yes |
| 14 | Scotland | 182 | Yes |
| 15 | Namibia | 181 | Yes |
| 16 | Nepal | 176 | Yes |
| 17 | UAE | 176 | Yes |
| 18 | USA | 176 | Yes |
| 19 | Canada | 154 | Yes |
| 20 | Oman | 152 | Yes |
| 21 | Uganda | 142 | |
| 22 | PNG | 136 | |
| 23 | Kuwait | 130 | |
| 24 | Hong Kong | 127 | |
| 25 | Malaysia | 125 | |
| 26 | Bahrain | 119 | |
| 27 | Italy | 119 | Yes |
