The latest update to the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings has sent shockwaves through the cricketing world, reflecting the high-stakes drama of the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup. As the tournament shifts into the critical Super Eight stage, consistent performers are being rewarded with significant jumps, while veteran stars are proving that age is just a number. From Zimbabwe’s historic resurgence to India’s rising middle-order firepower, the charts now mirror the shift in power currently unfolding on the field.

Shivam Dube and Ishan Kishan register notable jumps in their respective ICC rankings

India’s white-ball depth is on full display in the latest rankings, with power-hitter Shivam Dube and wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan making significant strides. Dube, whose ability to dismantle spinners has become a vital asset for the Men in Blue, has jumped to a career-high 7th position in the all-rounder rankings. His recent Player of the Match performance against the Netherlands, where he blazed 66 off just 31 balls, cemented his status as one of the most impactful utility players in the world.

On the batting front, Ishan Kishan has made a thunderous return to the top tier. After a brief hiatus from the national setup, Kishan’s explosive form during the group stages has propelled him 3 spots up to 5th overall. He joins a dominant Indian batting contingent that includes Abhishek Sharma, who remarkably maintains his No. 1 ranking despite a string of low scores. This surge by Kishan and Dube underlines India’s aggressive new-age T20 philosophy, which prioritizes strike rates and multi-dimensional skills.

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Rinku Singh returns home due to family emergency; Sanju Samson unleashes power at Chepauk nets

Sikandar Raza rises to No. 1 all-rounder of the T20I format

The headline of the week belongs to Zimbabwe’s talismanic skipper, Sikandar Raza. In what has been a see-saw battle for supremacy, Raza has officially reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I all-rounder rankings. The 39-year-old veteran overtook Pakistan’s rising star Saim Ayub following a series of vintage performances that carried Zimbabwe to the Super Eight stage, a feat that famously saw the elimination of former champions Australia.

Raza’s rise is no fluke of the calculator; it is a direct result of his match-winning contributions under immense pressure. He played a pivotal role in the victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo with a brisk 45 and followed it up with a gritty 27 against the West Indies in Mumbai. His ability to provide four economical overs of off-spin while anchoring the middle order has made him the most valuable asset in the shortest format.

While Raza holds the summit for now, the competition is breathing down his neck. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi moved up to 6th, and South Africa’s Corbin Bosch made a meteoric 21-place leap to 3rd in the bowling charts, signalling that the race for the top will only intensify as the 2026 World Cup reaches its business end.

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: 2 changes India should make in their playing XI for must-win Zimbabwe clash

Craving that solitaire ring? Now might be the perfect time. A steep drop in diamond prices is reshaping jewellery buying trends in the country, with solitaires seeing heightened demand among consumers aged 28–40, according to industry executives. Sales in this segment have surged nearly 25% year-on-year as improved affordability drives more buyers to the market.Neil Sonawala, managing director of Zen Diamond India, told ET that the price shift has significantly reduced the cost of popular pieces. A 1-carat engagement ring that was priced at Rs 7–8 lakh in the previous financial year is now available at around Rs 5–5.5 lakh.He added that demand is also rising in the lower price band. Stones priced near Rs 2 lakh are seeing higher offtake as record gold prices encourage buyers to choose diamond-heavy jewellery that uses less of the precious metal.“We have witnessed a 25-35% year-on-year increase in solitaire demand in the current fiscal. This growth has been primarily driven by improved affordability following global price corrections, along with a stronger consumer shift toward investment-led purchases,” Sonawala added.Industry executives peg the size of India’s diamond market at Rs 80,000–90,000 crore.Natural diamond prices have declined sharply amid weaker export demand. The slowdown follows high tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, while China, the second-largest buyer of Indian cut and polished diamonds, has also reduced its offtake.Rajiv Popley, managing director of Mumbai-based Popley & Sons, said the shift in buying behaviour is being led by younger consumers.“Since the gold content is much less in diamond-studded jewellery, the young aspirational generation is opting for solitaires for engagements and anniversaries. Millennials form the majority of buyers. They are buying solitaires worth Rs 2 lakh, which are cheaper than 20 gm gold rings or chain. The surging gold prices have given a boost to the offtake of solitaires,” he told the agency.Zen Diamond India is reporting a surge in new customers as well. The company has recorded nearly 35–40% growth in first-time buyers, particularly in the 28–40 age group. While engagements continue to dominate purchases, buying motivations are widening.“While engagements remain the primary purchase driver, nearly 30% of solitaire purchases are now self-purchases or milestone-driven,” Sonawala said.Jewellers said the correction in diamond prices has lowered entry barriers and expanded the consumer base.Atul Sinha, chief operating officer at CaratLane, said younger buyers are increasingly prioritising meaning and individuality over heavy traditional designs.“Younger audience wants jewellery that reflects individuality, simplicity and meaning over traditional opulence. Customers today are actively seeking accessible yet premium alternatives, and that has accelerated the traction for categories like 9-carat and 14-carat gold, as well as lightweight natural diamond jewellery,” Sinha said.He noted that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) hallmark certification for 9-carat gold has strengthened consumer confidence.“The recent BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) hallmark certification for 9-carat has further strengthened confidence in these offerings, and since hallmarking began, we’ve seen close to a 200% surge in monthly 9-carat sales, reflecting how quickly consumers are embracing these newer caratages,” he said.According to a report released on Tuesday by India Ratings & Research, high gold prices have weighed on traditional gold jewellery demand even as studded jewellery records an uptick.“Reshaping consumer behaviour to accept record-high gold prices as the new normal, along with realigning the product mix by increasing the proportion of studded jewellery, lower-purity (9-carat, 14-carat and 18-carat) gold jewellery, light and ultra-light pieces for the mass segment to accelerate inventory turns, will aid jewellers in navigating industry challenges over the near to medium term,” said Preeti Kumaran, senior analyst, India Ratings & Research.

Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal

NEW DELHI: Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal, who played a key role in negotiating a trade deal with the United States, spearheaded the government’s response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his “compromised PM” remarks, in which the rival leader levelled a series of serious allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Amid the Lok Sabha leader of opposition’s criticisms of the interim India-US deal, Piyush Goyal called Gandhi a “puppet of foreign powers, anti-India forces, and anti-India organisations.”“Rahul Gandhi has, in a way, demonstrated a high-handed approach to politics before the nation and the world. He is nothing but a puppet of foreign powers, anti-India forces, anti-India organisations, and anti-India governments. This is the compromise Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family are making today: whether in Parliament, whether outside, whether in a press conference,” Goyal said. On Rahul calling PM Modi “compromised,” Goyal said the Congress leader was playing with the country and “completely putting the interests of the countrymen at stake”.“…perhaps they cannot tolerate the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the new India, the emerging economy, and India’s dominance in the emerging world. Therefore, they repeatedly compromise national and national interests by telling lies upon lies. And this isn’t a recent incident,” Goyal added.

On Rahul calling PM Modi “compromised,” Goyal said the Congress leader was playing with the country and “completely putting the interests of the countrymen at stake”.

Putting all the members of the Gandhi family, who have ruled the nation, in the dock, the Union minister said the clan never “shied away from compromising the country”.“You saw how Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi wielded extra-constitutional powers even during Manmohan Singh’s government. Sometimes, they even tore up cabinet decisions in front of the press. Disrespecting the Prime Minister, running the government through the National Advisory Council, and imposing a leftist ideology on the country? Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi used to run a parallel cabinet and compromise the country,” Goyal said. He went further back to attack the Nehru-Gandhi family as he highlighted the infamous Bofors scandal that was widely reported during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure and had been the reason behind the fall of his government.“It wasn’t just Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi who compromised the country… Rajiv Gandhi also never shied away from compromising the country. We all know how, at Rahul Gandhi’s behest, the Foreign Minister tried to stop the investigation in the Bofors scandal by asking Swedish authorities to do so. We all know how, in order to protect his friend Ottavio Cataracci, an honest investigation was prevented. It’s not known what role the Congress and Rajiv Gandhi played in Bofors... The Gandhi family tarnished the country before the world and compromised it,” Goyal said.The senior BJP leader also accused Indira Gandhi of “compromising” India’s interests by mentioning Ambassador Moynihan’s “CIA funded the Congress party” claims. “Indira Gandhi was no less in compromising the country’s interests. We saw how Ambassador Moynihan confirmed that the CIA repeatedly provided funds to the Congress party for elections and that the Congress party ran its politics through the CIA,” Goyal said.The minister also attacked Rahul over his “behaviour with the press” and accused him of addressing “a curated press conferences”.“We have seen his behaviour with the press. You can’t even ask an uncomfortable question to Rahul Gandhi without being tagged as a BJP-associated press person. He only wants curated press conferences. He can’t take questions other than those he’s given in writing. Such a person is leading the Congress party and playing with the country. They are completely putting the interests of the countrymen at stake,” Goyal alleged.Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday made serious allegations against PM Modi, claiming the PM rushed into a trade deal with the United States in the interest of his minister Hardeep Puri and industrialist Gautam Adani, who Rahul said is the “BJP’s financial structure”.

Rahul said: “He (PM Modi) left and called Trump, saying, ‘Sir, I’m ready to do whatever you say'”.

The Gandhi scion claimed Union minister Hardeep Puri’s name in the infamous Epstein files was released to “threaten” the PM, and that there are “videos and messages which have not been released from the millions of Epstein files” held up in the US.In another allegation, Rahul claimed that the case against Adani in the United States is not against the industrialist but against PM Modi, adding that these two were the reasons PM Modi finalised the trade pact with America, which had been stuck for months.Rahul said: “He (PM Modi) left and called Trump, saying, ‘Sir, I’m ready to do whatever you say’, and he sold the country… Narendra Modi is compromised; he was trapped and forced to sign the US-India trade deal.”

Sanjeev Sanyal (File photo)

India’s heavy dependence on foreign-flagged vessels, which carry more than 90 per cent of the country’s trade by volume, poses a serious strategic vulnerability risk, according to Sanjeev Sanyal, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.Speaking to ANI, Sanyal argued that India’s limited merchant fleet constrains the nation’s economic resilience, particularly during periods of global instability. While naval strength remains essential, he stressed that commercial maritime capacity must grow alongside it.

“I have argued many times before that ships and this maritime capability is one of our biggest strategic weaknesses,” Sanyal said, adding that a robust merchant fleet is necessary to “provide support to the economy in good times and bad.” He also said that relying solely on military power is insufficient. “Until we own our own ships, build our own ships, it’s not enough to only have a navy.”Menawhile to address the gap, the central government is accelerating efforts to develop a domestic shipping and shipbuilding ecosystem. Recent policy measures have granted ships infrastructure status and introduced legislative reforms aimed at easing ownership structures and attracting private investment. Sanyal said that these initiatives are backed by a Rs 77,000 crore package intended to expand India’s national fleet and strengthen maritime capabilities.Beyond strategic considerations, Sanyal pointed to the significant economic benefits of scaling up shipbuilding. Describing it as an “ecosystem of jobs,” he noted the sector’s labour-intensive nature and its wide industrial linkages. “It requires basically a large amount of welding. There is all the engineering that goes into it, the steel that comes from it,” he said, emphasising the ripple effects across engineering, heavy manufacturing, and logistics.Eastern India, particularly West Bengal, could emerge as a key beneficiary of the maritime push. Sanyal cited the region’s longstanding maritime heritage and existing infrastructure, including facilities such as Garden Reach Shipbuilders. He pointed to historical ports like Chandraketugarh and Tamralipti, along with modern hubs in Kolkata and Haldia, as indicators of the state’s natural advantages.“I’m sure this big effort that the central government is doing in terms of building out the shipbuilding and shipping industry has many paybacks to places like Bengal,” Sanyal said.The expansion of domestic maritime capacity also ties directly to India’s evolving trade strategy. As the country deepens economic engagement through new free trade agreements, including with major partners such as the US, Sanyal argued that shipping infrastructure will play a decisive role.“As trade grows, the shipping industry will be a very important part of that trade,” he said, calling strong maritime linkages and a capable merchant navy “absolutely critical” for sustaining long-term economic growth.

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The historic Pallekele International Cricket Stadium witnessed a night of high drama on February 24, 2026, as England edged out Pakistan by two wickets in the 45th match of the T20 World Cup Super Eights. While Harry Brook’s sensational 51-ball century steered England into the semifinals, the aftermath in the Pakistan camp was anything but celebratory. Following the narrow defeat in the Group 2 clash, a fiery televised exchange between former captain Mohammad Hafeez and spin legend Saqlain Mushtaq has gone viral, exposing deep rifts over the team’s tactical direction and the roles of key all-rounders.

Tensions flare as Mohammad Hafeez responds strongly to Saqlain Mushtaq after England defeat

With Pakistan now staring at a near-certain elimination, the post-match analysis on a prominent TV channel turned into a battlefield. The core of the argument rested on the utility of Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan. Hafeez, known for his blunt “Professor” persona, questioned whether these players were being selected based on merit or vague labels. “Is he a bowling all-rounder or a batting all-rounder?” Hafeez demanded, specifically targeting Shadab.

Mushtaq, who has previously coached the national side and is the father-in-law of Shadab, attempted to defend the duo, asserting they possess equal prowess in both departments. “Look, he is a bit of both,” Saqlain insisted.

However, Hafeez shot back with a personal anecdote to illustrate his point: “I played for Pakistan as an all-rounder. My primary job was batting. If I am not scoring, I do not need my 8, 6, or 4 overs. My captain used to tell me that if I don’t deliver with the bat, we don’t need your bowling. Nawaz’s primary job is bowling—if he can’t do that, we don’t want him.”

Critics have viewed Hafeez’s remarks as a thinly veiled jibe at Shadab’s stagnating form. This isn’t the first time the two have clashed; a similar spat occurred after Pakistan’s recent loss to India, where Hafeez blamed the senior core while Saqlain pointed fingers at the support staff.

Here’s the video:

🚨🚨 HEATED ARGUMENT BETWEEN HAFEEZ AND SAQLAIN MUSHTAQ🚨

-Saqlain is trying to defend his son-in-law

-Hafeez asking why is he in team ? What are his first priority in the team ?

• Shadab is the biggest Parchi after Babar Azam ❗pic.twitter.com/o4sm5MbhFh

— SheR•ALI (@Sher__Ali) February 24, 2026

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Shaheen Afridi reveals reason behind Pakistan’s defeat against England in Super 8 clash

Shadab Khan’s dismal bowling run in T20 World Cup 2026

The tension between the two legends is fueled by Shadab’s statistical decline as a frontline bowler. While Shadab provided a cameo with the bat (23 runs) against England, his bowling—his primary job, remained ineffective at a time when Pakistan needed breakthroughs to stop the Harry Brook onslaught.

Shadab’s journey through the 2026 T20 World Cup has been a rollercoaster of inconsistency. Aside from a standout performance against Namibia, his ability to contain top-tier batters has vanished:

The numbers highlight a worrying trend: in critical games against major nations like India and England, Shadab has failed to take a single wicket. As Pakistan prepares for a “do-or-die” final Super 8 match against Sri Lanka, the debate over whether the team is over-reliant on struggling all-rounders continues to divide the nation’s cricketing icons.

Also READ: What does Jofra Archer’s ‘C’ celebration mean? England pacer sparks buzz after Saim Ayub’s wicket in T20 World Cup 2026