Four out of 11 players are Indians.
The T20I flavour has become a big part of cricket, and the last year witnessed some high-octane action across multiple short-format contests. Let’s check the Men’s T20I team of the year 2025 and the top performers in the format who made the cut.
There was also the Asia Cup 2025, which the Men in Blue won. All in all, the year witnessed several top performances, with a few familiar names again stealing the headlines, while some players left a massive impact and exceeded expectations.
The openers in the XI for the T20I team of the year are Abhishek Sharma and Pathum Nissanka. Abhishek enjoyed a phenomenal year, smashing 859 runs in 21 innings at an impressive average of 42.95 and an explosive strike rate of 193.46, including one century and five fifties. The Sri Lankan opener, on the other hand, has showcased consistency on tricky surfaces and difficult opponents while also racking up 625 runs at an average of 36.76. He was also the second-highest run-scorer in the Asia Cup 2025 after the Indian player.
At No.3 is the white-ball captain of the West Indies, Shai Hope, with 556 runs in 19 games at 34.75, comprising four fifties and a ton. Hope will be followed by big hitters Dewald Brevis at No.4 and Tim David at No.5.
Brevis beat out competition from the likes of Harry Brook and Tilak Varma for this spot, with 313 runs and a fiery strike rate of 166.48 – one of the best in the position.
David’s numbers at No.5 are lethal, with a strike rate over 200, making him a beast in the middle order of the T20I team of the year. He is the best bet to tackle the middle and death overs.
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One of the best in the business for his abilities with the ball and the bat, picking Hardik Pandya was a no-brainer in the T20I team of the year. While he missed a few games due to injury, including the Asia Cup 2025 final and the white-ball tour of Australia, it’s his match-winning prowess that makes his presence a necessity. He averaged 33.55 with the bat while also taking 12 scalps with the ball.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz cuts a spin all-rounder in the XI for the T20I team of the year. He finished as the top wicket-taker amongst full member nations with 36 wickets from 24 innings, including a fifer, and also added 362 runs
While Jason Holder was the top of the list of wicket takers in T20s, he was equally good in the West Indies jersey, ending 2025 with 31 wickets and 255 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah was once again India’s top pacer, finishing 2025 just one wicket behind Arshdeep Singh. Although he looked off rhythm in a few games, there is still no bowler as good as Bumrah in getting key breakthroughs or restricting run-flow.
Varun Chakravarthy’s evolution in white-ball cricket, especially the T20I format, has been massive. He was also the best Indian bowler this year with 36 wickets at a stellar average of 13.19 while maintaining a tidy economy of 7.08. Thus, two Indian bowlers make it in the T20I team of the year.
Kiwi pacer Jacob Duffy completes the T20I Team of the year for his exploits of 35 wickets in 20 innings, including three four-wicket hauls to finish as the top pacer of 2025.
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