Have India ever lost a T20I against an associate nation?

No. India haven’t. They have never lost a T20I against an associate nation in the history of the game. Their lowest came in losing the T20I against Ireland.

What is India's biggest defeat by runs in T20I history?

The record of India’s biggest defeat by runs in T20I history came in 2026 at Trent Bridge. They lost the T20I clash against England by 125 runs, after getting bundled out for 76 in the third T20I of the five-match series.

Have India ever lost a T20I to Zimbabwe?

India have lost to Zimbabwe three times in the history of T20I cricket. The first one came in 2015, followed by 2016, while the last one came in 2024.

Have India's biggest T20I upsets affected major tournaments or rankings?

Yeah. India’s shocking T20I upsets against Ireland were a major blow for their ICC rankings as they lost their top spot, having also lost the T20I series against England by a 4-1 margin.

India’s top 10 biggest upsets in T20Is

India have been one of the most dominant sides in the T20I format, having won three World Cups. They won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007 when the MS Dhoni-led side beat their arch-rivals Pakistan at Wanderers in Johannesburg during the final.

It was followed by a 17-year wait in the event, where they failed to win the title in 2014, losing the final to Sri Lanka in Mirpur. But under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the blue brigade finally ended the drought, winning the 2024 edition final against South Africa in Barbados. And, two years later, they won it on successive attempts under Suryakumar Yadav.

But over the years, it’s equally true that India have been stunned by underdogs, failed in seemingly straightforward games, which left the fans and experts stunned. Some of the defeats came against the emerging cricketing nations, while the others took place against teams that were simply expected to be outclassed on the day.

The defeats in the shortest format can be memorable, not just because of the results, but also due to how the world champions face the collapse in their batting département; these games prove that no team is unbeatable in the shortest format.

Top 10 biggest upsets in India's T20I cricket history

Ranking the biggest T20I upsets for India is never an easy job because every defeat generally carries its own story. Can a defeat be judged only on the opponent’s strength, the margin of the loss, or the stakes being involved?

From Zimbabwe’s famous win in Harare to Bangladesh’s only victory in Delhi, several such games find their place on the list. Here are the top 10 biggest upsets in India’s T20I cricket history-

#10 Zimbabwe’s 10-run win vs India in Harare, 2015-

It was Zimbabwe’s very first victory in T20Is against India during the 2015 series at the Harare Sports Club. The hosts’ batters could not contribute much in the batting department, apart from their opening batter, Chamu Chibhabha’s 67-run knock off 51 balls, with the help of nine boundaries at a strike rate of 131.37, to reach 145/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, India couldn’t complete the chase. They never got the acceleration throughout the line-up, apart from Robin Uthappa’s 42-run knock off 25 balls, thanks to nine boundaries. Graeme Cremer’s 3/18 in four overs earned their victory by 10 runs.

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 145/7 (Chamu Chibhabha 67, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/26) beat India 135/9 (Robin Uthappa 42, Graeme Cremer 3/18) by 10 runs.

#9 Zimbabwe’s 2-run win vs India in Harare, 2016-

The two sides met each other a year later in 2016 as Zimbabwe gained a successive win by 2 runs. The home side posted a massive score of 170 runs for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs. Hamilton Masakadza and most of the other batters couldn’t get going before the all-rounder, Elton Chigumbura, remained unbeaten on 54 runs, shouldering on seven sixes and one four.

The same issue continued with the blue brigade. No one was able to get a big individual score on the board as Manish Pandey and Mandeep Singh were the only two batters to cross the 30-run mark as the visitors fell short by two runs.

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 170/6 (Elton Chigumbura 54*, Jasprit Bumrah 2/24) beat India 168/6 (Manish Pandey 48, Chamu Chibhabha 2/13) by 2 runs.

#8 West Indies’ 1-run win vs India in Florida, 2016-

It was a high-scoring affair between West Indies and India during the 2016 series at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida, where the Caribbean side posted a massive score of 245/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Evin Lewis smashed a 49-ball century, thanks to five boundaries and nine sixes, while his opening partner, Johnson Charles, drilled 79 runs off 33 balls, shouldering on six boundaries and seven sixes.

India, in reply, were in the chase as KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 110 runs off 52 balls, shouldering on 12 boundaries and five sixes. Meanwhile. Rohit Sharma clubbed 62 runs off 28 balls. But Dhoni, needing two runs off the last ball, was dismissed on the last ball as India lost the encounter by one run.

Brief Scores: West Indies 245/6 (Evin Lewis 100, Ravindra Jadeja 2/39) beat India 244/4 (KL Rahul 110, Dwayne Bravo 2/37) by 1 run.

#7 Sri Lanka’s 5-wicket win vs India in Pune, 2016-

Just a month before the start of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2016, India were shocked by a five-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in the preparation for the competition. At the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, the hosts were blown away for just 101 with only three batters making it into the double figures.

The bounce was the biggest issue for the Indian side against Kasun Rajitha and Dasun Shanaka. The tourists also had the problem but completed the chase by five wickets and two overs to spare. The target was too little for the home side to defend.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 105/5 (Dinesh Chandimal 35, R Ashwin 2/13) beat India 101 (R Ashwin 31*, Dasun Shanaka 3/16) by five wickets.

#6 New Zealand’s 47-run defeat vs India in Nagpur, T20 WC 2016-

It was India’s opening clash of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2016 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur against New Zealand. In a shocking start, Martin Guptill smashed R Ashwin for a six before getting dismissed on the very next delivery. They were restricted to 126/7 as the spin-trio of the home side took full advantage.

On a tough surface and conditions, the MS Dhoni-led side was bundled out for just 79 runs, losing the encounter by 47 runs. Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi ended with a combined figure of 7/29 in eight overs.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 126/7 (Corey Anderson 34, Jasprit Bumrah 1/15) beat India 79 (MS Dhoni 30, Mitchell Santner 4/11) by 47 runs.

#5 South Africa’s 4-wicket win vs India in Cuttack, 2022-

During the second T20I of the 2022 series between India and South Africa at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, the blue brigade was restricted to 148 runs for the loss of six wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Most of their batters failed to adapt to the surface.

It wasn’t an easy chase for the Proteas too. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals throughout the chase. But Heinrich Klaasen smacked a dashing knock of 81 runs off just 46 balls at a strike rate of 176.09 with the help of seven boundaries and five sixes and got themselves over the line by four wickets with 10 balls to spare.

Brief Scores: South Africa 149/6 (Heinrich Klassen 81, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/13) beat India 148/6 (Shreyas Iyer 40, Anrich Nortje 2/36) by 4 wickets.

#4 Zimbabwe’s 13-run win vs India in Harare, 2024-

Just after winning the T20 World Cup 2024, India sent a young side to tour Zimbabwe under Shubman Gill for a five-match T20I series. In the very first clash at the Harare Sports Club, the hosts struggled to get going and somehow managed to reach 115 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

India, in the chase, were bundled out for just 102 runs in 19.5 overs, losing the contest by 13 runs. Only three batters, including Avesh Khan, in the entire batting line-up, got themselves into double figures as both Sikandar Raza and Tendai Chatara picked up three wickets each.

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 115/9 (Clive Madande 29*, Ravi Bishnoi 4/13) beat India 102 (Shubman Gill 31, Tendai Chatara 3/16) by 13 runs.

#3 Bangladesh’s 7-wicket win vs India in Delhi, 2019-

It remained the only T20I win for Bangladesh against India, as the game took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. None of the home batters could celebrate their respective fifties as they were reduced to 148 runs for the loss of six wickets in their allotted 20 overs, with Shikhar Dhawan struggling on 41 runs off 42 balls.

Bangladesh struggled at the start before a 60-run stand for the third wicket settled them, followed by a 15-ball 40-ball partnership for the fourth wicket. Mushfiqur Rahim remained unbeaten on 60 runs off 43 balls at a strike rate of 139.53 with eight boundaries and one six as they completed the chase by seven wickets.

Brief Scores: Bangladesh 154/3 (Mushfiqur Rahim 60*, Yuzvendra Chahal 1/24) beat India 148/6 (Shikhar Dhawan 41, Aminul Islam 2/22) by 7 wickets.

#2 Ireland’s 1-run defeat vs India in Belfast, 2026-

In the second game of the series between Ireland and India in Belfast, the hosts somehow managed their way to 154 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Harry Tector celebrated his fifty while Benjamin Calitz dashed 37 runs off 23 balls to push them over the 150-run mark.

India lost both of their openers, Sanju Samson and Abhishek, for successive golden ducks. Tilak Varma notched up his fifty at number five along with some contributions from the lower order as they fell short by one run.

Brief Score: Ireland 154/8 (Harry Tector 53, Prince Yadav 3/22) beat India 153/9 (Tilak Varma 55, Matthew Hollard 3/26) by 1 run.

#1 Ireland’s 34-run win vs India in Belfast, 2026-

It was India’s very first T20I clash of the two-match series after winning the T20 WC 2026 under the new leader, Shreyas Iyer. The hosts, from being 51/4, ended up with 1182 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs; their captain, Lorcan Tucker, smashed 50 runs off 36 balls at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast.

In reply, the blue brigade was bundled out for just 148 runs, losing the contest by 34 runs. Apart from Abhishek Sharma’s 49-run knock off 20 balls, none of the batters could get to a landmark. Both Matthew Humphreys and Matthew Hollard picked up three wickets each.

Brief Scores: Ireland 182/9 (Lorcan Tucker 50, Gerath Delany 49, Harshit Rana 3/24) beat India 148 (Abhishek Sharma 49, Matthew Hollard 3/28, Matthew Humphreys 3/38) by 34 runs.