The 2016 ICC World Twenty20 tournament will take place in India, where the host side and defending champions Sri Lanka will rank among the favourites as they each chase a second crown.
England, Pakistan and the West Indies will also be hunting a title number two, while Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will be eager to break their respective ducks.
Meanwhile, punters all over the globe can sink their teeth into a veritable feast of T20 World Cup betting markets at our top-ranked online bookmakers:
– www.CrownBet.com
– www.WilliamHill.com
– www.Sportsbet.com
– www.Bet365.com
– www.Luxbet.com
2016 World T20 outright betting
India – $3.60
Australia – $6
South Africa – $7
Sri Lanka – $8
New Zealand – $9
West Indies – $9
Pakistan – $10
England – $11
Bangladesh – $51
Zimbabwe – $251
Ireland – $251
Netherlands – $1001
Afghanistan – $1001
Scotland – $1001
Hong Kong – $2501
Oman – $2501
Odds provided by CrownBet.com
T20 World Cup match betting and props
Of all the formats, Twenty20 cricket offers arguably the most exciting range of matchday markets, players props and exotic bets. That’s especially the case during the World Twenty20, when all the usual markets are supplemented by a host of betting specials.
Popular World Twenty20 betting markets include:
– Head to head
– Highest opening partnership
– Highest first six overs
– Most match sixes
– Top team batsman
– Top team bowler
– Man of the match
– Method of first dismissal
– Number of total runouts
– Over/under first wicket stand
– Over/under team totals
World Twenty20 teams
India
The hosts are firm favourites in the early betting for World T20 2016, and not without cause. They’ve won it before, they’ll be playing on home soil this time, and the local talent coming through the Indian Premier League gives them unrivalled depth in this format. Star batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be the men to stop.
Australia
Although their T20 International record doesn’t line up with their dominance in Test and ODI cricket, the Aussies are well liked to follow up their 2015 World Cup win with another triumph in India. The domestic Big Bash League has gone from strength to strength in recent years, while the likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and especially Mitchell Starc are proven performers in the IPL.
South Africa
Like Australia, the Proteas haven’t exactly lived up to their vast potential in Twenty20 cricket so far. And while they are yet to reach the final of either the 50-over World Cup or the World T20, you can’t ignore them. All they need is a couple of guys to step up alongside AB de Villiers, who is without doubt the most devastating batsman in world cricket.
New Zealand
The Black Caps are everybody’s second-favourite team right now, due in no small part to their dynamic displays en route to the 2015 CWC final. The traditionally dour New Zealanders are an entirely different prospect under Brendon McCullum, whose bold and aggressive captaincy should suit the T20 format. Star allrounder Corey Anderson could be the key.
Sri Lanka
As the reigning champions and the top team in the ICC Twenty20 world rankings, the Sri Lankans look like very good value to go back-to-back in 2016. They would have to do so without both Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene – the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history. There is plenty of ability in Angelo Mathews’ new crop, however, as well as a certain short-form specialist called Lasith Malinga.
West Indies
Every other aspect of Caribbean cricket may be falling to pieces, but the Twenty20 game is alive and well. One of their biggest concerns will be the eligibility of star spinner Sunil Narine, whose bowling action remains a serious issue. There’s no doubting the Windies’ firepower, though, as the likes of Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo are all big T20 performers.
Pakistan
It’s almost impossible to predict what Pakistan will do in any given match, let alone throughout the course of a major tournament. They are world-beaters on their day, but consistency has never been their strong suit. No one player sums up any side better than veteran allrounder Shahid Afridi, who is capable of both the sublime and the ridiculous in equal measure.
England
After the unmitigated disaster that was the 2015 World Cup, the English have completely revamped their approach to limited-overs cricket. Some have questioned whether they have enough top-end talent now the likes of Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen – the heroes of England’s World T20 triumph in 2010 – are no longer in the mix, but the likes of Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan are match-winners when they fire.
Bangladesh
The Tigers are the most upwardly mobile team in world cricket. They reached the quarterfinals of World Cup 2015, after which they proceeded to beat India, South Africa and Pakistan in various limited-overs series. Besides the homegrown talent coming through the ever-improving Bangladesh Premier League, they can also call upon proven IPL stars such as Shakib Al Hasan.
Ireland
The Irish have shown in recent years that they can take down anybody on their day. But while they have achieved some excellent results in 50-over cricket, the men from the Emerald isle have yet to pass the second round of the Twenty20 World Cup in four attempts. They will definitely want to improve on their 13th-place finish at India 2014.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean cricket has been on the slide for years now. That was cruelly exposed at the most recent Cricket World Cup, where their only win came against United Arab Emirates – the competition’s whipping boys. Now that star batsman Brendan Taylor has jumped ship to pursue a more stable career in the English counties, the African side will struggle to compete for a spot in the Super 10 phase.
Netherlands
Believe it or not, the Dutch have the exact same win percentage as England in World T20 matches (44 per cent). They even defeated the Brits during the Super 10 round in 2014, having progressed ahead of Ireland and Zimbabwe due to a superior run rate. Few will expect them to match those feats in 2016, let alone better them.
Afghanistan
Although the Afghanis have featured in the last three T20 World Cups, it took them until 2014 to bring up their first and only win – a seven-wicket victory over newcomers Hong Kong. Their reputation is growing fast, however, especially after a 3-2 win over Zimbabwe in October 2015 made them the first non-Test nation to defeat a Test nation in a multi-game ODI series.
Scotland
Having failed to qualify for the last three World Twenty20 tournaments, the Scots will return to the fold for India 2016. They have severe losing records against the likes of Afghanistan (0-5) and the Netherlands (1-4) in T20 Internationals, and have beaten only Bangladesh (once) among the top 10 teams.
Hong Kong
HK made their debut in the 2014 World Twenty20 tournament. Although they finished second last overall, they did hit the scoreboard with a surprise win over host nation Bangladesh in their final group game.
Oman
This will be Oman’s first-ever appearance at any major cricket tournament. Having only been upgraded to ICC affiliate in 2014, they gained T20I status and booked their place in India 2016 with a sudden-death qualifying victory over Namibia the following year.
