The ICC T20 World Cup is right around the corner.
The pregame narrative: The ninth edition of the cricket tournament, beginning June 1, features 20 teams competing for the ultimate prize. India is a +260 favourite and four other teams have odds shorter than 10-to-1 to win it all.
Check out our five teams to watch ahead of this signature men’s event, which ends on June 29 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
T20 World Cup favourites
Click linked odds to add selection to betslip.
| Team | Betting odds |
| India | +260 |
| Australia | +325 |
| England | +550 |
| South Africa | +600 |
| West Indies | +700 |
| New Zealand | +1,100 |
| Pakistan | +1,200 |
Cricket odds as of 12:10 p.m. ET on 05/30/2024.
We'll start by looking at Australia, which won in 2021 and is second on the odds board behind India.
Australia
Australia's track record in big events is why this team is among the favourites. The country has been unstoppable at times, such as in the 50-over ICC World Cup in 2023, where it defeated the home team and favourites India in the final to lift the title.
The team is led by veteran all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, replacing former opening batter Aaron Finch. Once again, the team will rely heavily on its pace battery, which consists of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, and the spin duo of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar.
In the batting department, the Kangaroos will have the services of veteran opener David Warner, Travis Head, Tim David and Mathew Wade. Glenn Maxwell, Marsh, Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis will balance the side with their all-round abilities.
India
The Men in Blue will enter the competition full of confidence after their performance in the most recent ICC event. They finished as the runner-up last year and suffered just one defeat in 11 matches.
At the 2022 T20 World Cup, the Rohit Sharma-led side lost by 10 wickets in the semifinal to the eventual champs, England. India will once again be led by Sharma and the batting department remains loaded with star batter Virat Kohli, alongside Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Sampson.
The finisher role will be played by the likes of vice-captain and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and experienced Ravindra Jadeja.
The bowling side looks good, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Siraj and Pandya taking care of the pace department. Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel all have the potential to utilize the spin-friendly conditions.
England
The Three Lions lifted the title in 2022, but the buzz around England cricket has dipped after a dismal run in the ICC 50-over World Cup where it finished sixth.
Nearly half of the 15-member squad will feature new players compared to the 2022 edition. England will need its batting to take it over the line.
Captain Jos Buttler, known for his aggressive batting, will have the services of the in-form Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett and Jonny Bairstow in the batting department to score the bulk of the runs.
Batting all-rounders like Moeen Ali, Will Jacks and Liam Livingstone can also add crucial runs in the back end of the innings. The fast-bowling department looks slightly better than it was in 2022, especially with the return of Jofra Archer. The group can cause a lot of damage to any batting side.
West Indies
The Caribbean giants will be eager to leave their mark on the competition on home soil, especially after missing a place in the 50-over event. The Windies can be a force to be reckoned with in the shorter format and home conditions, at least in the batting department.
Led by hard-hitting Rovman Powell, the group has depth, including all-rounders Andre Russell and Jason Holder, who can provide quality finishes.
The bowling department looks slightly weaker, especially the fast-bowling group, where there will be an overreliance on Alzarri Joseph, Holder, Russell and Obed McCoy to provide timely breakthroughs.
But the spin department should prove to be more than handy in home conditions.
Pakistan
The Men in Green were impressive in 2022, finishing runner-up after losing in the final to England. But things haven’t been as rosy since then.
There has been a shuffle in captaincy where Babar Azam was reinstated just months before the mega-event, replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi, who replaced him after a disappointing outing in the 50-over ICC World Cup.
A new coaching staff is in place, and former South African opening batter Gary Kirsten joined the team weeks before the start of the tournament.
As far as the team composition is concerned, it looks like a good outfit on paper.
The batting department is top-heavy, where Babar, along with Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan and Saim Ayub, will be counted on to score the bulk of the runs and carry a weaker middle/bottom of the order.
The spin department looks solid and the pace bowling department looks amazing. Shaheen, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir and Haris Rauf can destroy any batting lineup on a given day.