India head coach Gautam Gambhir emerged as the top sportsperson in the IE 100 list of the most powerful people in India in 2026.
The former India opener dethroned Rohit Sharma from last year as the top Indian sportsperson on the charts, following a triumphant run in white-ball formats with the national side. Gambhir was listed at No. 74, while Rohit, who was named at No. 48 in 2025, missed the top 100 this year.
Former India captain Virat Kohli, who was at No. 72 in 2025, was named at No. 75 behind Gambhir in the IE 100 list. India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is the only other athlete in the charts, positioned at No. 82 after his exploits in the recent T20 World Cup for India.
IE100: Check out full list of most powerful Indians in 2026
Gambhir, who took over as India’s head coach in July 2024, led India to the Champions Trophy title in early 2025. Under Gambhir, India have emerged as a dominant force in T20Is. It resulted in the Men in Blue’s successful T20 World Cup title defence at home earlier this month. India won all but one game during their campaign. Gambhir’s men upped their game during the knockout leg of the tournament, thumping England and New Zealand in succession in the semi-finals and finals after putting on two successive 250-plus scores.
After announcing his Test retirement in May 2026, Kohli emerged as the highest run-getter for Royal Challengers Bengaluru en route to their maiden IPL title win last year. Kohli then returned to dominant form in ODIs in late 2025, smashing three centuries in his last seven innings for India.
Besides the trio, sports administrators Jay Shah and Nita Ambani retained their names in the charts headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah, the former BCCI secretary and current ICC president, moved up from No. 24 to No. 22 while Ambani maintained her position at No. 26.
IE Top 100 – Sports
Administrators
No. 22 – Jay Shah
No. 26 – Nita Ambani
Sportspersons
No. 74 – Gautam Gambhir
No. 75 – Virat Kohli
No. 82 – Jasprit Bumrah
