Cricket Betting: Breaking Down the 2021 T20 World Cup

In October and November, India will play host to the World T20 Cricket Tournament, a competition that will see the 16 best nations clashing for the right to call themselves the best side in the world at the shortest format of the game. There is plenty of cricket to be played before the tournament begins, but early odds for the tournament are available at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Here is a look at some of the teams who will be taking the field later this year, with some thoughts on the favorites as well some teams available at longer odds who might be worth a gamble.

The Favorites

Hosts India are the favorites to win the trophy, coming in at odds of +240. No team has won more T20 matches than India since the last tournament, which they also hosted. Their powerful batting lineup, headlined by captain Virat Kohli and opening batsman Rohit Sharma, is backed up by bowlers like Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah. Only Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has taken more wickets than Chahal since the 2016 tournament (Khan has 70, Chahal has 60), while only Sultan Ahmed of the United Arab Emirates has bowled more maidens than the four Bumrah has in this span. India will be looking to win the tournament for the first time since 2007.

There are few more powerful white-ball teams in the world than England at present. They are currently ranked No.1 in both the 50-over and 20-over formats and are second favorites for this trophy at +300. Led by captain Eoin Morgan, they have a powerful and deep batting lineup, one featuring big hitters like wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler and the Yorkshire pair of Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan. They also have plenty of bowling options, notably leg-spinner Adil Rashid and one of the best bowlers at the end of an innings in Chris Jordan. They last won the trophy in 2010, although they lost in the final to the West Indies in 2016.

For so many years the dominant force in world cricket across all forms of the game, Australia has never won the World T20 and have reached the final just once across the six tournaments. But they are never to be dismissed casually and are available at +300. They are led from the front by opening batsman and captain Aaron Finch, whose 1,372 runs since 2016 are the fifth most in the world and include a top score of 172. Later in the batting order is the enigmatic Glenn Maxwell, who has three T20 international hundreds over his last 35 matches. The key bowlers for Australia will be leg-spinner Adam Zampa and slow left-arm bowler Ashton Agar. They have taken 38 and 37 wickets, respectively, since the last tournament.

The Next Tier

Outside of the favorites, New Zealand (+850) is a team that always shows up whenever international tournaments come around. They have reached the semifinals twice, the last time coming in 2016.

The West Indies (+1000) are the current holders, winning the 2016 tournament in dramatic fashion against England. They are the only team to have won the World T20 twice, also coming away with the trophy in 2012. But they have won 18 and lost 31 of their matches since they beat England in Kolkata.

There is no more enigmatic side in world cricket than Pakistan (+1600), who have won more games than any other team apart from India since the 2016 tournament. They'll look to the explosive Babar Azam to lead them to a second title, having last won the tournament in England back in 2009. No one has more international T20 runs in the last five years than Azam, who has amassed 1,730.

The Longshots

Ireland, Namibia, the Netherlands, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Scotland all had to go through an extended qualifying period to make it to the 2021 tournament. They are all heavy underdogs to lift the trophy, and all of them are available at +20000. They will be looking to give a good account of themselves, but if any of them are to make any serious noise, my tip would be Ireland. They have the most pedigree, playing in each of the last five tournaments. They have some handy players, not least batsman Paul Stirling. He has 1,373 runs in this format since the 2016 tournament, which is a tally exceeded by just four players.

My Pick

India is always a tough nut to crack, especially on home soil, but I really like England to take home the trophy in this tournament. They are the reigning 50-over world champions, and as I write this, they are the top-ranked side in both short formats of the game. They came heartbreakingly close to taking home the spoils five years ago, and that memory plus the talent all through the squad leads me to think they will go one better this time around. But do not -- I repeat: do not -- write off Pakistan. When the force is with them, they are an irresistible outfit. They are my pick for an outside bet.