T20 World Cup: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The T20 World Cup starts in the West Indies and the USA on Sunday morning and Racing Post's James Milton has picked out his four best bets for the tournament as England bid for a successful title defence.

T20 World Cup Outright Tips betting tips and predictions

India To Win T20 World Cup - 13/8

India were stung by their surprise defeat to Australia in last year's 50-over World Cup final, which they hosted, and that disappointment could inspire them to glory in the T20 World Cup.

Rohit Sharma's men played some stunning cricket until the final, winning all 10 of their matches, and their T20 squad is packed with players who impressed in this season's IPL.

Virat Kohli, the leading runscorer in that tournament, has an amazing record at the T20 World Cup, scoring 14 half-centuries in just 25 innings, while wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant made an excellent return to action for Delhi Capitals after more than a year on the sidelines.

Suryakumar Yadav is top of the ICC's T20 batting rankings – his last T20 innings for India was a 56-ball 100 against South Africa in Johannesburg – and his Mumbai Indians teammate Jasprit Bumrah had a superb IPL season.

Bumrah was injured for the 2022 T20 World Cup, where India suffered a 10-wicket mauling by England in the semi-finals, but he looked back to his best in the IPL, taking 20 wickets at an economy rate of just 6.48 runs per over.

All-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, along with ace six-hitter Shivam Dube, are powerful middle-order options for India and they are unlikely to slip up against their main Group A rivals Pakistan.

Australia and England, who won the last two T20 World Cups, pose the biggest threats but the Aussies have form and fitness concerns over all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell.

England's T20 displays since their 2022 triumph have been patchy and they failed to qualify for the semi-finals in last year's 50-over World Cup title defence.      

Phil Salt To Be Top Batter - 12/1

The IPL is the strongest T20 franchise league on the calendar, so good performances there must be taken seriously and England opener Phil Salt will be full of confidence after his 2024 campaign.

Salt had to leave champions Kolkata Knight Riders before the playoffs but he made a major contribution to KKR's success, scoring 435 runs in 12 innings at a strike-rate of 182.

He grew up in Barbados, the venue for the T20 World Cup final, and looks set for a big tournament, having cemented his place at the top of the order for England with scores of 40, 21, 109 not out, 119 and 38 in December's series in the West Indies. 

Nicholas Pooran To Be West Indies Top Batter - 1/7

Nicholas Pooran went on a six-hitting spree for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, hitting 36 maximums in 14 innings, and he looks a good bet to be the top tournament runscorer for the West Indies.

Pooran racked up 499 runs for Lucknow – comfortably his best tally for an IPL season – and he does not need long to make a match-winning contribution with the bat.

The left-hander finished the IPL season with scores of 48 not out, 61 and 75 before smashing 75 off just 25 deliveries in this week's warm-up win over Australia and the co-hosts are hoping for more Pooran pyrotechnics once the serious business begins.  

South Africa To Reach Semi-Final - 8/15

South Africa have a poor record at T20 World Cups, but they were unfortunate not to make the 2022 semi-finals as rain prematurely ended their Super 12 clash with Zimbabwe when they needed just 13 runs off four overs for victory.

The Proteas beat India by five wickets at that tournament and finished second to them in the 2023 50-over World Cup league standings before a semi-final defeat to Australia.

A middle-order featuring Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and youngster Tristan Stubbs should power them to some big totals and their experienced spinners could be a handful in the Caribbean.

There are doubts over South Africa's T20 form coming into the tournament but Group D fixtures against Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Nepal should help them get into their stride and they are worth backing to make the semi-finals.  

T20 World Cup odds

• India - 13/8
• Australia - 3/1
• England 4/1
• South Africa 6/1
• West Indies - 15/2
• Afghanistan - 66/1
• Bangladesh - 200/1
• USA - 500/1

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.