Top 5 Contenders for ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2025
- Abhishek Sharma
- Running: 859
- Average/strike rate: 95 / 193.46
- Milestones: Recorded 1 century and 5 half-centuries in 21 innings.
- Signature Performance: Shot a match-winning 135 against a top side, anchoring India’s chase in a high-stakes bilateral series, marking his emergence as a T20I powerhouse.
Abhishek Sharma has built perhaps the strongest overall case for the 2025 honour, redefining what a T20I opener can do over a full calendar year. The left-hander hit 859 T20I runs from 21 matches in 2025 at an average of 42.95 and a staggering strike rate of 193.46, including one century, five fifties and a highest score of 135. No other Indian batsman matched his combination of volume and scoring rate, and his score is widely highlighted as one of the best ever by an Indian in T20s in a single year.
His powerplay aggression consistently put India ahead, with social and analytical breakdowns noting 85 fours and 54 sixes in those 21 T20Is – extraordinary boundary figures at international level. Abhishek also scored 1,602 runs across all T20s in 2025 (India, IPL and domestic), the second-best annual figure by an Indian in this format after Virat Kohli’s 2016 feat, underscoring his dominance beyond just the international arena.
- Phil Salt
- Running: 434
- Average/strike rate: 40 / 175.70
- Milestones: Smashed 1 century and 3 half-centuries in 11 innings.
- Signature Performance: Unbeaten 141* from 60 balls at a record venue, propelling England to their highest T20I total and cementing their status as a global T20 enforcer.
England opener Phil Salt has had a blistering T20I year, keeping him firmly in the awards conversation despite playing fewer matches than some rivals. In 2025, Salt scored 434 T20I runs at an average of 43.40 and a strike rate of 175.70, with a century and three fifties and a best of 141*, figures that place him among the format’s most destructive top hitters. His ability to turn games in the powerplay was central to England’s ultra-aggressive white-ball template and helped propel him to the top of the T20I batting rankings.
Salt’s success has also translated into the global T20 competitions, where he remained among the top ten run-getters in all T20 cricket in 2025 with over 1,400 runs at a strike rate above 156, further cementing his reputation as a year-long match-winner. The demand for the franchise, including a high-profile IPL deal, reflects the premium placed on his fearless ball striking and consistency.
- Varun Chakraborty
- Wickets: 36
- Average / Economy / Strike Rate: 19 / 7.08 / 11.16
- Milestones: Claimed 1 four-wicket haul and 1 five-for in 18 innings.
- Signature Performance: Dazzling 24/5 in a decisive match, dismantling the opposition’s middle order and earning Player of the Series in a home win over South Africa.
Varun Chakravarthy was the standout T20I spinner of 2025, delivering a golden year that rewritten several Indian and global benchmarks. The mystery spinner ended the calendar year with 36 wickets from 20 matches (18 innings) at an average of 13.19 and an economy rate of 7.08, including both a four-wicket haul and a five-for with best figures of 5/24. That tally made him India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is before 2025 and joint top among all full member countries, alongside Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz.
Varun’s impact was especially pronounced in the home series against South Africawhere he took 10 wickets in four matches at 11.20 to secure Player of the Series honors and help India achieve a 3–1 win. Statistically, his 36 wickets also placed him just one behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s Indian record of 37 T20I wickets in a calendar year, further underscoring the historic nature of his 2025 campaign.
- Muhammad Nawaz
- Wickets: 36
- Average / Economy / Strike Rate: 61 / 6.56 / 12.44
- Milestones: Recorded 1 five-wicket haul in 24 innings.
- Signature Performance: Career-best 5/19 in a pressure cooker, a must-win match with middle-over breakthroughs that sealed a series for Pakistan.
Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has quietly put together one of the most effective T20I bowling years ever by a full-member spinner. In 2025, Nawaz claimed 36 wickets from 26 T20Is at an exceptional average of 13.61 and an economy rate of 6.56, with a five-wicket haul and best figures of 5/19, figures that put him level with Chakravarthy at the top of the calendar. year wickets chart. Various record lists now show that Nawaz holds or shares the most T20I wickets in a year among Pakistani bowlers.
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Off the ball, social recaps of Pakistan’s season highlight that Nawaz also contributed over 350 T20I runs and multiple match-turning cameos, making his all-round value a key factor in his silverware haul. His ability to bowl in the powerplay, middle overs and at the death while maintaining control has made him Pakistan’s most reliable T20 performer in all conditions in 2025.
- Jacob Duffy
- Wickets: 35
- Average / Economy / Strike Rate: 08 / 7.47 / 12.11
- Milestones: Secured 3 four-wicket hauls in 20 innings.
- Signature Performance: Lethal 4/14 in a tense clash, ripping through the batting line-up to defend a modest total and fuel New Zealand’s series rise.
New Zealand seam Jacob Duffy completes the top five after a breakthrough year that has transformed him into one of the most prolific T20I pacers in the world. The right-armer took 35 wickets from 21 T20Is in 2025 at an average of 15.08, an economy rate of 7.47 and a strike rate of 12.11, including three four-wicket hauls and a best of 4/14. That achievement made him the first Kiwi bowler to take more than 30 T20I wickets in a calendar year, a milestone widely celebrated in New Zealand media and fan circles.
Duffy’s success has come under a variety of circumstances, including a high-impact series against Pakistan where he claimed 13 wickets in five matches, moving up the ICC T20I bowling rankings. His sustained wicket-taking at the top and in the middle overs has positioned him as New Zealand’s new T20I spearhead and an outside yet genuine contender for the global prize.
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