With all nations building up towards the T20 World Cup next year, hosts India look to be the team to beat at the highly-anticipated tournament.
India find themselves at 9/4 with bookmakers in the cricket betting to win the competition on home soil, but punters will also be considering the likes of England and Australia for the trophy.
Hosts the team to beat
It is easy to see why India would be considered one of the favourites to be the nation celebrating come the end of the tournament. The Indian Premier League has emerged as the leading T20 franchise competition in the world, with a host of homegrown talent on show. One of those stars is Kings XI Punjab wicketkeeper KL Rahul, who is relishing the chance to impress at the major event.
India’s vice-captain is enjoying his cricket at present and says he would love the chance to keep wicket in the next three global ICC events. Having moved up the pecking order ahead of the likes of wicketkeepers Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, there is nothing to suggest Rahul can’t go on to play the next three tournaments, starting with the 2021 T20 World Cup.
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Speaking on the subject, Rahul said that if the “opportunity presents itself” he would be honoured to represent his country in the major competitions to come. The 28-year-old impressed during the last series against New Zealand earlier this year, and now the gloves are seemingly his to lose as India go in search of the T20 title.
England will have their say
Punters will also be considering England in the outright winner market when it comes to the tournament in October. The Three Lions have become a real force in white-ball cricket and made their own home advantage count when winning the ODI World Cup last year. Again there are a number of English players who have made the IPL their home, with the likes of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes being two of the biggest hitters in the game.
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With Eoin Morgan having the experience of captaining the side to ODI glory in 2019, he will be looking to use that knowledge to try and bring further major success to the Three Lions in the subcontinent.
Australia can’t be ruled out
Both Australia and England can be found at around the 4/1 mark in the outright winners market, with Aussies of course expected to be challenging come the business end of the competition. Captained by Aaron Finch, the 34-year-old also has a wealth of experience to draw upon for the major tournament. Finch is one of the best in the business at the T20 format, with his 172 against Zimbabwe in July 2018 still being the record score for an individual player.
Finch will have plenty of support in the batting lineup, with veterans Steve Smith and David Warner adding their influence to the squad. In the bowling department, there are also players who have plenty of caps for their country, including pacemen Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins.
While India and England might be two of the favourites going into the next T20 World Cup, Australia will have plenty of backers for the trophy.
