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 recently conducted a blind ranking exercise, where he ranked six star Indian batters of the present and past ahead of the 2026 IPL season. The rankings provided an interesting insight into how the players are perceived by their peers.

Vaibhav Arora ranked current T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav as the third-best batter on the list. The top spot went to former World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh, followed closely by Surya. Surprisingly, the current No.1-ranked T20I batter, Abhishek Sharma, found himself ranked second from the bottom at No.5 by Vaibhav.

The ranking exercise also saw former skipper Rohit Sharma being placed at the top of the list. Despite his stellar performances, ace batter Virat Kohli was ranked fourth by Vaibhav, who admitted he had no choice but to leave him out of the top three.

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

Looking at the T20I and IPL statistics of the six batters, it is evident that they all boast impressive numbers. Rohit Sharma leads the way in T20I run-scoring for India, while Virat Kohli is not far behind. Both players have retired from T20Is after clinching the T20 World Cup title in 2024.

Suryakumar Yadav has established himself as the third leading run-scorer among Indian batters in T20Is, with a solid record in the IPL as well. Yuvraj Singh, despite being a non-active player, still holds a respectable position in both T20Is and the IPL.

Abhishek Sharma, a relatively new entrant to the T20I scene, has quickly made a mark with his impressive performances. Shreyas Iyer, on the other hand, has been a consistent performer in both T20Is and the IPL.

The blind ranking exercise by Vaibhav Arora sheds light on how different players are perceived within the cricketing fraternity. It provides an interesting perspective on the talents of these Indian batters and how they stack up against each other in the world of T20 cricket.