Vaibhav Arora blind ranks Indian T20 stars ahead of IPL 2026; Virat Kohli is not No. 1 [Watch]

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Vaibhav Arora blind ranked six star Indian batters of the present and past ahead of the 2026 IPL season. Current T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav was the first name on the list, and the KKR seamer placed him at No.3 on the rankings.

Former World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh was next, and Vaibhav ranked him second, one spot ahead of Surya. The No.1-ranked T20I batter, Abhishek Sharma, could not break into Vaibhav's top three and was ranked second from bottom at No.5.

Former skipper Rohit Sharma was next, and after much deliberation, the KKR seamer ranked him atop the list. When ace batter Virat Kohli came next, Vaibhav placed him fourth, stating he had no option but not to rank him in the top three.

Here is the link to Vaibhav Arora's blind-ranking exercise of some of India's all-time T20 legends (via CricTracker's Instagram handle):

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DTBGObIEkf2/

The final name on the list was former KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer, who Vaibhav ranked at the bottom by default. The duo were teammates during KKR's incredible title run in IPL 2024.

How the six names ranked by Vaibhav Arora stack up in T20Is and the IPL

All six names blind-ranked by Vaibhav Arora boast excellent T20I and IPL numbers. Rohit Sharma is India's all-time leader in T20I run-scoring with 4,231 runs, while Virat Kohli is second with 4,188 runs.

The duo is also in the top two in IPL run-scoring, with Kohli amassing 8,661 runs and Rohit 7,046 runs. The pair has retired from T20Is after helping India win their second T20 World Cup title in 2024.

Suryakumar Yadav is the third leading run-scorer among Indian batters in T20Is with 2,788 runs in 99 games. He is 16th in IPL run-scoring with 4,311 runs in 166 matches.

Meanwhile, the only non-active player, Yuvraj Singh, is 11th in T20I runs among Indian batters with 1,177 runs. The southpaw is only 36th in the IPL with 2,750 runs in 132 outings.

Abhishek Sharma's T20I career began only in the middle of 2024 but has raced to 1,115 runs in a mere 33 matches. He is also nearing the 2,000-run mark in the IPL with 1,816 runs in 77 outings.

Finally, Shreyas Iyer has 1,104 runs in 51 T20Is and 3,731 runs in 133 IPL matches.

Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran