June's T20 World Cup takes place in the Caribbean and the USA, where defending champions England are aiming to claim a record third title.
The West Indies, co-hosts of the tournament, are the only other team to have won the T20 World Cup twice, in 2012 and 2016, while India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and 2021 champions Australia have also lifted the trophy.
- INDIA TO WIN THE T20 WORLD CUP
- SOUTH AFRICA TO WIN THE T20 WORLD CUP
- PHIL SALT TOP TOURNAMENT RUNSCORER
- JASPRIT BUMRAH TOP TOURNAMENT WICKET-TAKER
- AFGHANISTAN TO QUALIFY FROM GROUP C (TOP-TWO FINISH)
India Can Go All The Way
India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2009 and their domestic franchise competition, the Indian Premier League, is the most illustrious Twenty20 tournament on the cricketing calendar.
However, they have disappointed in recent 20-over World Cups, reaching the final only once in the last seven editions – in 2014, when they lost to Sri Lanka.
They played some outstanding cricket on their way to last year's 50-over World Cup final on home turf before suffering a comprehensive six-wicket defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad.
The Aussies and England won the last two T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022 and India, the other member of world cricket's unofficial 'big three', should be backed to follow suit.
They start their Group A campaign in unfamiliar territory with three matches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York before heading to Lauderhill in Florida for their last group game.
Whatever the conditions, India should be too strong for group-stage opponents Ireland, the USA and Canada while they beat Pakistan, their main challengers for top spot, by four wickets in a thriller at the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli's unbeaten 82 sealed India's victory that day and the legendary batsman was the leading runscorer in this season's IPL, racking up 741 runs in 15 innings for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Teammate Suryakumar Yadav, who has played some sensational innings for India, is top of the ICC's T20 batting rankings and Shivam Dube's six-hitting ability adds another dimension to the middle-order.
India's all-round talent, including wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, could make them hard to beat.
Vice-captain Hardik Pandya and spinner Ravindra Jadeja could easily bat in the top six and bowl their allotted four overs while Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal complete a formidable spin department.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best in the business in the death overs and, after last year's World Cup disappointment, experienced captain Rohit Sharma has a great chance of lifting the trophy in Bridgetown, Barbados on June 29th.
INDIA TO WIN THE T20 WORLD CUP
Batting Power Boosts SA’S Hopes
Australia and England, champions at the last two T20 World Cups, are prominent in the betting and South Africa also look lively contenders.
England hope that injury-prone fast bowlers Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Reece Topley can stay fit although they are missing Ben Stokes, whose half-century steered them to victory over Pakistan in the 2022 final.
Australia's T20 captain Mitchell Marsh had to cut short his IPL campaign due to a hamstring injury and fellow all-rounder Glenn Maxwell had a poor season for Bengaluru.
Opener Travis Head, who scored a century in last year's World Cup final against India, is set to open with veteran David Warner, who was preferred to dashing youngster Jake Fraser-McGurk in the squad.
South Africa's top order is shaping up nicely with Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs – an IPL teammate of Fraser-McGurk's at Delhi Capitals – among their big hitters.
Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are vastly experienced T20 spinners and a pace attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee could take the Proteas deep in the tournament.
They have a decent group-stage draw alongside Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Netherlands in Group D and will have taken confidence from last year's 50-over World Cup, where they finished second to India in the league standings.
SOUTH AFRICA TO WIN THE T20 WORLD CUP
Salt Should Savour Caribbean Return
India star Kohli, the leading runscorer in T20 World Cup and IPL history, is among the favourites to score the most runs at this year's tournament and Australia opener Head, England captain Jos Buttler and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam are also respected in the market.
However, it could be worth backing Buttler's opening partner Phil Salt to finish top of the runscoring charts after his dynamic displays for Kolkata Knight Riders in this season's IPL.
Salt scored 435 runs at a strike-rate of 182 per 100 balls for KKR and he is capable of continuing his hot streak at the World Cup.
He spent much of his childhood in Barbados and made a triumphant return to the Caribbean in a T20 series last December, scoring 40, 21, 109 not out, 119 and 38 in five innings against the West Indies.
That 119 – England's highest individual score in T20 internationals – came from just 57 balls, 10 of which went for six, and the innings helped propel Salt to number two in the ICC's T20 batting rankings.
PHIL SALT TOP TOURNAMENT RUNSCORER
India Ace Back To His Best
India have named a spin-heavy squad for their World Cup bid but they also have arguably the world's best T20 fast bowler in Jasprit Bumrah.
He produced some superb spells for Mumbai Indians in this season's IPL, taking 3-18 against a powerful Kolkata side and dismissing international teammate Kohli on his way to figures of 5-21 against RCB.
Bumrah's yorkers earn him plenty of wickets at the death and his T20 international economy rate of 6.55 runs per over means batsmen have to take chances if they want to attack him.
He missed the 2022 tournament with a back injury but looked as sharp as ever in the IPL this year and should go close in the top T20 World Cup wicket-taker betting.
JASPRIT BUMRAH TOP TOURNAMENT WICKET-TAKER
Afghans To Qualify From Group
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan can be dangerous outsiders on their day and the Afghans are worth backing to claim a top-two finish in Group C.
New Zealand and the West Indies are expected to qualify from that section but Afghanistan, captained by T20 superstar Rashid Khan, are capable of crashing the party.
Rashid, a brilliant leg-spinner and excellent lower-order hitter, has a great ally in veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi while young opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz is another potential matchwinner.
Their pace attack is improving thanks to the emergence of Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai and they beat Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England at last year's 50-over World Cup, having lost to Australia by only four runs in a cracking game in Adelaide at the 2022 T20 tournament.
AFGHANISTAN TO QUALIFY FROM GROUP C (TOP-TWO FINISH)
