2024 Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup Preview: Odds, Favorites, Predictions & Picks for the Tournament

This weekend, one of the biggest events in international cricket will kick off, as the first matches of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup will take place.

Two years ago, England won the tournament for the second time with a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the final in Melbourne, Australia.

England will be one of the top contenders for the title this time around, but they will be going up against dubious history. No one has won the Men’s T20 World Cup twice in a row, nor have the reigning champions even made the final of the next tournament.

This year’s tournament will be co-hosted by the United States and West Indies, and the action will get underway on Saturday night with the USA, who is appearing in the tournament for the first time, taking on Canada in a Group A showdown at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.

Little is expected of the USA, which is no surprise. But their group could be home to the eventual champions, as tournament favorites India and fellow contenders Pakistan are also in Group A, along with Ireland.

Are you unfamiliar with T20 cricket or cricket in general but interested in getting some tournament picks in? We’ll break things down below, but first, let’s look at some Men’s T20 World Cup futures odds.

Odds to Win the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup

• India +250
• Australia +350
• England +450
• South Africa +600
• West Indies +700
• Pakistan +1000
• New Zealand +1000
• Sri Lanka +4000
• Bangladesh +7500
• Afghanistan +7500
• Ireland +25000
• Netherlands +25000

See the rest of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup odds at BetOnline, a longtime fixture in the sports betting industry. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then grab yourself a nice sign-up bonus to bet on the tournament there.

What Is the Format of the Men’s T20 World Cup?

As with the FIFA World Cup or Rugby World Cup, the first phase of the tournament is group play.

In this edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup, the 20 teams are split into four groups of five teams apiece.

• Group A: Canada, India, Ireland, Pakistan, United States
• Group B: Australia, England, Namibia, Oman, Scotland
• Group C: Afghanistan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, West Indies
• Group D: Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands, South Africa, Sri Lanka

Each team will play the other teams in their group once. The top two finishers in each group will move on to the Super 8s, a second group stage, featuring two groups of four teams apiece.

• Group 1: A1, B2, C1, D2
• Group 2: A2, B1, C2, D1

In the Super 8s, each team will play the teams in their group once, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semifinals.

• Semifinal #1 (June 26 – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago): Group 1 winner vs Group 2 runner-up
• Semifinal #2 (June 27 – Providence Stadium, Georgetown, Guyana): Group 2 winner vs Group 1 runner-up

The 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup final will take place on June 29 at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Who Are the Favorites to Win the Men’s T20 World Cup?

India (+250)

India won the inaugural edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, defeating Pakistan in the final in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Since then, their best showing in the event is an appearance in the 2014 final, which they lost to Sri Lanka.

This could be the last opportunity for a major international trophy for captain Rohit Sharma (37), Virat Kohli (35), and Ravindra Jadeja (35).

Talent is no concern; can that talent put it together when it matters? In last year’s ODI World Cup, India made an unbeaten run through to the final, only to lay an egg against Australia. This time, however, they won’t have to deal with the pressure of trying to get it done on home soil.

Australia (+350)

Can Australia, who won the tournament in 2021, hold both the Test Championship, ODI World Cup, and T20 World Cup titles at the same time?

England (+450)

Smart money says not to back the reigning champions because of the aforementioned history. That said, England will fancy their chances of defending their 2022 title.

South Africa (+600)

Will South Africa’s wait for a men’s ODI or T20 World Cup title finally come to an end? They have yet to reach the final of the T20 World Cup, with semifinal losses in 2009 (to Pakistan) and 2014 (to India) their best results to date.

What Is the Outlook for the USA?

Would it be exciting for the USA to make some noise in their first appearance in the men’s T20 World Cup? Absolutely.

Is it likely to happen? No.

They are firm favorites against Canada and should win that match, and they can beat Ireland, but they won’t advance past the group stage unless things get wild and wacky.

However, they do enter the tournament with a fantastic boost from taking two of three in a series with Bangladesh. It was the USA’s first series win over one of the ICC’s Full Members, and the significance of it for the present and potentially for the future can’t be understated.

At the very least, this represents a big opportunity for the USA’s best talents to showcase themselves on the biggest of stages.

Predictions & Picks for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup

Prediction: Afghanistan will reach the Super 8s

This isn’t the boldest prediction ever, but Afghanistan will beat out either New Zealand or the West Indies to reach the Super 8s.

Afghanistan should dispatch Uganda and Papua New Guinea with relatively little stress. That would leave them needing to beat either New Zealand (who they meet in their second Group C game) or the West Indies (who they meet in their Group C finale) and winning out on net run rate. It is all very achievable.

Prediction: The USA will upset Ireland

In what will likely be their final match of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, the USA will take on Ireland in Lauderhill, Florida on June 14.

Given the timing of the match, it will likely be a meaningful game for Ireland, who face India and Canada before their match against the USA and Pakistan in their Group A finale on June 16.

It will take a huge performance with the bat and ball for the USA to make it happen, but they have done it before. In December 2021, the USA beat a Test-playing nation for the first time when they defeated Ireland by 26 runs at the same venue their World Cup match will take place.

2024 Men’s T20 World Cup Winner Prediction & Pick: South Africa (+600)

There’s a lot of talent and experience in South Africa’s squad, and if things come together, this could finally be their year.

The big question with the Proteas, as is always the case, is whether they will show up in the matches and moments that matter most. They are historically known for having Charlie Brown-level luck, but that has to change at some point, right?