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The latest edition of the T20 World Cup will take place in the United States and the West Indies this year. It is set to be an incredible spectacle with many teams realistically vying for the ultimate glory, and several rivalries set to be re-opened after significant waits.
The greatest players and teams are set to go head-to-head with stunning US backdrops making for the most unique edition of the tournament so far.
The T20 World Cup has been hosted by the West Indies before back in 2010, but now it will also take place on a land where baseball has typically taken precedence over cricket.
This year’s competition is also the first in which a 20-team format will be used. This has allowed a further four teams to be involved compared to usual, which will provide the event with more exciting international cricket rivalries.
History will undoubtedly be made, and records could be broken at the special edition of the T20 World Cup this summer.
There are several distinct frontrunners to win the tournament and each could significantly improve their all-time T20-format pedigree by going all of the way in the US and West Indies.
India are the outright favourites
Half a dozen teams could realistically win the event this year, although three teams stand out as having the greatest chance of success.
India is considered the pre-tournament favourite by major bookmakers all over the world. Online betting in Asia echoes that sentiment, with reputable sites such as Parimatch offering it as the 11/4 outright favourite.
The nation is historically not the greatest in T20 cricket. However, with prime Virat Kohli spearheading the team’s ambitions, it has a huge chance of securing a record-equalling victory this year.
Since the inaugural tournament in 2007, two teams have two titles to their name – England and the West Indies. India won the initial event that year, but has not managed to extend their tally since.
England will look to defend their 2022 title
England is also one of the frontrunners for this year’s tournament, which means while India could close its slim lead, it could instead become the outright record-holder by moving beyond the West Indies.
England is the defending champion going into the US-West Indies competition after winning on Australian soil in 2022. Currently, it is tied with India in the betting markets.
England is set to be immensely strong in the bowling and batting areas with Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes expected to return for the World Cup. The regular experience of the captain Jos Buttler and legendary bowler Moeen Ali will also boost their hopes.
This will likely be the final shot at World Cup glory for England’s most iconic active stars and that will surely provide the greatest motivation to topple huge rivals India in North America.
Australia will seek record-equalling success
Australia is another immensely strong team at present that harbours genuine aspirations of winning this year’s headline event.
The Aussies are offered just behind India and England at 9/2, going into this year’s 20-team showdown with the momentum of winning last year’s one-day international World Cup.
They have a widely versatile squad of players that can seamlessly adapt to the T20 format. For example, batsman Steve Smith is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever across all formats. Travis Head will also be a certain inclusion, following his match-winning 137 runs in the final last year.
These three nations all have standout individuals and generally elite teams all around. It is tough to pick between them, but one will surely emerge as the T20 champion this year.
Historical rivalries set to be renewed
Aside from the frontrunners, there are also headlines to be made from the rare meeting of historical rivals set to meet at this year’s competition.
With the fixtures taking place across North America, it is fitting that a rivalry within the region will be renewed in the group stage opener.
The USA will face Canada on 1st June to open the tournament with the latest edition of what is the oldest rivalry in international cricket as they met for the first time in 1844.
Neither team will expect to make waves at the tournament, but the bragging rights for whoever wins the opening fixture could be as significant for them as eventual glory for the stronger teams.
The other huge local rivalry set to be revisited at the competition is between England and Scotland. They have never faced each other in T20 format and have not met in general since an ODI in 2018.
Like the North American pair, the Scots will not expect to fight for silverware this year, they will simply hope to damage their British rival’s defending campaign.
While the fight for overall glory is set to be fiercely competitive and immensely exciting to watch this year. The meetings between age-old rivals could also brew huge headlines in the early stages.
The cricketing world is set for a captivating tournament from the offset up until the moment the new world champion is crowned in Barbados.
