top-ranked players; leaders; frontrunners
Refers to the group of people or teams at the top of a ranking, competition, or field. Often used in sports, business, or any competitive context.
The top-ranked players are mostly professionals.
The leaders in this industry are always adopting new technologies.
Compound of 上位 (じょうい, 'upper rank') and 陣 (じん, 'group' or 'camp'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common pattern for referring to a collective group in a competitive context.