Deepti Sharma of India appeals during the 1st T20I match between India and Sri Lanka at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India, on December 21, 2025. (CREIMAS for BCCI)
India allrounder Deepti Sharma, who was part of the ODI World Cup winning team one and a half months ago, now has another feather in her cap when she became the top-ranked bowler in the T20I ICC rankings for the first time in her career. Deepti took 1 wicket for 20 runs in the 1st T20I match of the ongoing which was enough for her to dethrone Australia fast bowler Annabel Sutherland, pipping her by one rating point to sit at the top of the table with 737 points.
This was the latest in the spate of good news that have come Deepti’s way with the allrounder bought back by UP Warriorz for Rs 3.2 crore at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction last month after entering at a base price of Rs 50 lakhs.
The all-rounder was initially bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) for Rs 50 lakh, but the UP Warriorz opted to use the Right-to-Match (RTM) card. DC valued her at Rs 3.2 crore, and the Warriorz accepted the bid to regain the player in their squad. Deepti also had a terrific ODI World Cup becoming the top wicket taker of the tournament with 22 scalps.
A landmark moment for India’s trailblazer Deepti Sharma as she rises to No.1 in ICC Women’s T20I Bowling Rankings 😍 pic.twitter.com/hhc9yrkxmo
Meanwhile, Pacer Arundhati Reddy has climbed up five places to be 36th while spinner Shree Charani is up 19 places to 69th. Jemimah Rodrigues, who was adjudged the player of the match in Visakhapatnam for her unbeaten 69 off 44 balls, moved up five spots to ninth among T20I batters while vice-captain Smriti Mandhana continues to be the top ranked Indian, occupying the third spot. Shefali Verma who has moved down a spot to 10.
On the other hand, South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt has replaced Mandhana as the No.1 batter in the women’s ODI batting rankings. Wolvaardt slammed successive centuries in the second and third matches of their home series against Ireland – 124 and 100 not out – to run up a nine-point lead over the India opener and reach a career-best 820 rating points.
Curated by Aisha Patel
