Theninth edition of the T20 World Cup will be held in West Indies andUSA from 1-29 June 2024. A record number of 20 teams will participatein the month long tournament. Let’s look at the major teams whohave a chance of winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.
India
The‘Men in Blue’ will go into this tournament as the top-ranked T20side in the world. Overall, the squad looks much better as comparedto the previous two editions, with a strong batting line-up in theform of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Surya Kumar Yadav, YashasviJaiswal and quality bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav,Yuzvendra Chahal and valuable all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja. But,the team hasn’t won an ICC trophy in the last 11 years and India’sonly previous T20 World Cup win came at the inaugural edition inSouth Africa in 2007. This time tough, the ‘Men in Blue’ will belooking forward to change this record.
Australia
Thesecond-ranked T20 side Aussies as always is one of the firm favoritesto lift yet another World Cup title, this time under a new captain -Mitchell Marsh. The Kangaroos squad looks strong this time too withmajority of the 2023 ODI World Cup-winning players playing in thisT20 World Cup. Openers Travis Head and David Warner are in good nickand so are their bowlers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc as seen inIPL 2024 and the Australians will expect the team to stand on thepodium once again.
England
Defendingchampions England will be aiming not to let go their title so easily. Their squad will feature numerous players like skipper Jos Buttler,Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Phil Salt who have lighted up IPL 2024along with other experienced batters like Jonny Bairstowa and LiamLivingstone. The return of fast bowler Jofra Archer will givesolidity to their bowling department which consists of experiencedspin duo of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. The third-ranked T20 side willbe looking forward to become first team to defend a T20 World Cuptitle.
WestIndies
WestIndies is one of two teams to have won this tournament twice (alongwith England). As co-hosts, they would be eager to take homeadvantage and become first team to capture three titles after winningit under the legendary Daren Sammy in 2012 and 2016 who is now itshead coach. The ‘Men in Maroon’ which boasts of some good T20specialists players have powerful hard-hitting batters like AndreRussell, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers in its rank along with somequality spinners. If both their batsmen and bowlers performconsistently, West Indies will be a serious title contender.
NewZealand
Inrecent times, New Zealand has been a strong team in T20 cricket,consistently reaching the semifinals but the Black Caps are yet toclinch a T20 World Cup title. With a balanced and experienced squadled by the indomitable Kane Williamson, the Kiwis will be eager tobreak their title drought. The team boasts a mix of explosive batterslike Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Devon Conway, versatileall-rounders like Daryl Mitchell and lethal bowlers like Trent Boultand Tim Southee, all of whom will be eager to win maiden T20 WorldCup for their side.
Pakistan
Runners-upat the previous edition, Pakistan at their best and on their day, candefeat any opponent. Led by Babar Azam, both as captain and inbatting prowess, and Shaheen Shah Afridi with the ball, Pakistancannot be taken lightly despite their sixth position in the ICC T20team rankings. With hard-hitting batsmen such as Mohammad Rizwan,Fakhar Zaman, reliable all-rounder like Iftikhar Ahmed, left-armseamer Mohammad Amir and spinner Imad Wasim, Pakistan has a fairlybalanced squad. Their only title came in 2009, but no team will takethe risk of underestimating them.
SouthAfrica
SouthAfrican team has long been tagged as “chokers” in internationalcricket due to their track record of underperforming in crucialmatches. But, they would be determined to change that narrative thistime around. Their prominent players like David Miller, Lungi Ngidi,Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, and Heinrich Klaasen are in good form,putting up dominant performances in IPL 2024. Thereby furtherboosting South Africa's chances to emerge victorious in thetournament. The Proteas, however, have a lot to prove, having failedto reach the tournament's semifinals since 2014.
