• T20 World Cup starts Saturday February 7

• Holders and hosts India are the Betfair Sportsbook favourites to retain title

• Get ground guides and full tournament schedule

• Ed explains how the tournament works

• Full squads listed

• For Betfair's latest cricket betting odds click here

What is the T20 World Cup?

The T20 World Cup is the newest of the ICC global events and has taken on increasing importance as Twenty20 has become the most popular format. It is a biennial tournament and this will be the tenth edition. 

India are the holders, having won the 2024 competition, beating South Africa in the final in the Caribbean. India will share hosting duties this year with Sri Lanka. There are 20 teams taking part. They have been split into four groups of five. India, Australia, West Indies, South Africa, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the seeded teams.

Bangladesh are not taking part due to political tensions with India. Scotland have taken their place. The tournament includes associate nations such as Italy, Oman, Nepal and more. the eaglery-anticpated group match between India and Pakistan on February 15 is unlikely to take place with Pakistan boycotting. 

When is T20 World Cup and how can I watch?

The first match is between Netherlands and Pakistan in Colombo on Saturday, February 7. For viewers from the UK and Ireland, all matches will be televised on Sky Sports. In India, Disney Star will broadcast matches. A full breakdown of the official brodcasters is here.

Where are the matches being played?

The tournament is being staged in India and Sri Lanka across eight venues, five of them in India. The final will be played in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8.

Narendra Modi Stadium

Location Ahmedabad, India
Capacity 132,000
Inauguration: 1983
Fixtures: South Africa vs Canada (February 9), South Africa vs Afghanistan (February 11), New Zealand vs South Africa (February 14), India vs Netherlands (February 18), Super 8s Match 3 (February 22), Super 8s Match 7 (February 26), Final (March 8)

Wankhede Stadium

Location Mumbai, India
Capacity 33,100
Inauguration 1974
Fixtures: India vs USA (February 7), England vs Nepal (February 8), England vs West Indies (February 11), Nepal vs Italy (February 12), West Indies vs Nepal (February 15), Scotland vs Nepal (February 17), Super 8s Match 4 (February 23), Semi-final 2 (March 5)

Eden Gardens

Location Kolkata, India
Capacity 68,000
Inauguration 1864
Fixtures West Indies vs Scotland (February 7), Scotland vs Italy (February 9), England vs Scotland (February 14), England vs Italy (February 16), West Indies vs Italy (February 19), Super 8s Match 12 (March 1), Semi-final 1 (provisional, March 4)

Arun Jaitley Stadium

Location New Delhi, India
Capacity 55,000
Inauguration 1883
Fixtures Netherlands vs Namibia (February 10), India vs Namibia (February 12), Canada vs UAE (February 13), Afghanistan vs UAE (February 16), South Africa vs UAE (February 18), Super 8s Match 11 (March 1)

M A Chidambaram Stadium

Location Chennai, India
Capacity 38,200
Inauguration 1916
Fixtures New Zealand vs Afghanistan (February 8), New Zealand vs UAE (February 10), USA vs Netherlands (February 13), USA vs Namibia (February 15), New Zealand vs Canada (February 17), Afghanistan vs Canada (February 19), Super 8s Match 8 (February 26)

R Premadasa Stadium

Location Colombo, Sri Lanka
Capacity 35,000
Inauguration 1986
Fixtures: Sri Lanka vs Ireland (February 8), Australia vs Ireland (February 11), Australia vs Zimbabwe (February 13), India vs Pakistan (cancelled - February 15), Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe (February 19), Super 8s Match 1 (February 21), Super 8s Match 6 (February 25), Super 8s Match 9 (February 27)

Sinhalese Sports Club

Location Colombo, Sri Lanka
Capacity 10,000
Inauguration 1952
Fixtures Pakistan vs Netherlands (February 7), Zimbabwe vs Oman (February 9), Pakistan vs USA (February 10), Ireland vs Oman (February 14), Pakistan vs Namibia (February 18)

Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

Location Kandy, Sri Lanka
Capacity 35,000
Inauguration 2009
Fixtures Sri Lanka vs Oman (February 12), Australia vs Sri Lanka (February 16), Ireland vs Zimbabwe (February 17), Australia vs Oman (February 20), Super 8s Match 2 (February 22), Super 8s Match 5 (February 24), Super 8s Match 10 (February 28)

What is the schedule and how does the T20 World Cup work?

The group matches start on February 7 until February 20. There are 40 group matches in total with up to three matches a day taking place in the group stage. Each match is worth two points for the winner. if the match is abandoned or postponed (due to rain or something unforseen) one point to each team is awarded. 

• 40 group stage matches: February 7 - 20
• 12 Super 8 matches: February 21 - March 1
• Two Semi-finals: March 4 and 5
• Final: March 8

The top two teams in each group will progress to the Super Eight stage. These eight teams will then be split into two groups based on the pre-tournament seedings. If a seeded team does not qualify from the group stage, they will be assigned their seed.

For example, if Italy qualify at the expense of England, then the Italians will automatically progress to the Super Eight group England were assigned to based on their seeding. 

Which team is in which group for the T20 World Cup?

Group A

• India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia

Group B

• Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman

Group C

• England, West Indies, Scotland, Nepal, Italy

Group D

• New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE

The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Eights, which is two groups of four. Each team will play the other group members once. The seeded teams have already been assigned their group in the Super Eight, providing they qualify. So it doesn't matter whether a seeded team finishes first or second in the first group phase, they will be put into the same section.

At the moment, the projected Super Eight groups (based on seeding) look like this:

Projected Super Eight Group 1

• India, Australia, West Indies, South Africa

Projected Super Eight Group 2

• England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

The top two from each of these groups will then be drawn into the semi-final with first and second playing off against second and first respectively. 

How many T20 World Cup titles have teams won?

Two England (2010, 2020), India (2007, 2024), West Indies (2016, 2012)

One Australia (2021), Pakistan (2009), Sri Lanka (2014)

Runners-up New Zealand (2021), South Africa (2024) 

Past T20 World Cup finals 

2024 India 176-7 beat South Africa 169-8

2022 England 138-5 beat Pakistan 137-8

2021 Australia 173-2 beat New Zealand 172-4

2016 West Indies 161-6 beat England 155-9

2014 Sri Lanka 134-4 beat India 130-4

What are the squads?

Group A

India Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh

USA Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane

Namibia Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JC Balt, Dylan Leicher, WP Myburgh, Max Heingo. Reserve: Alexander Volschenk

Netherlands Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O'Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar

Pakistan Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq

Group B

Australia Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Sri Lanka  Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Rathnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Traveen Mathew

Zimbabwe Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor

Ireland Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Oman Jatinder Singh (c), Vinayak Shukla, Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Shah Faisal, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan, Ashish Odedara, Jiten Ramanandi, Aamir Kaleem

Group C

England Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood

West Indies Shai Hope (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd

Italy Wayne Madsen (c), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Jorge, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Thomas Draca

Nepal Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, Lokesh Bam

Scotland Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal. Travelling reserves: Jasper Davidson, Jack Jarvis, Non-travelling reserves: Mackenzie Jones, Chris McBride, Charlie Tear

Group D

South Africa Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs

New Zealand Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

Afghanistan Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran. Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi

Canada Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Buttar, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra

UAE Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.

Who are the players to watch?

Abhishek Sharma - India

The India opening batter has taken powerplay striking to new heights. Circumspection just isn't part of his thinking so if it off line it's out the park. Abhishek has more runs than anyone in the last 12 months. Not only that, no-one gets close to his incredible strike rate of 202. Abhishek is also a useful spin bowler so his all-round abilties make him an MVP.

Finn Allen - New Zealand

While much will be expected of Abhishek, Allen could fly under the radar. He has played only six matches in the last 12 months. But in those six his record is on a par with Abhishek, averaging 44 and striking at more than 200. He missed all but one of New Zealand's five-match series against India because he was tearing it up in the Big Bash. And when he did make it onto the park he hit 80 fom 38 balls. 

Corbin Bosch - South Africa

Every team needs a muscle-bound all-rounder and Bosch does exactly what he promises to. He is living proof of nominative determinism. He takes a wicket every 13.6 balls and can give it a fearful whack with the bat. Don't be surprised to see him pick up a match award or two with a strong run from South Africa expected.

Mohammad Nawaz - Pakistan

The slow-left arm spin bowler is unheralded but no bowler has been as canny in the last year. His 44 wickets are more than anyone else. He finished with a five-wicket haul against Australia last time out and with an average of a wicket every 12.6 balls he should take plenty by surprise. 

What are the T20 World Cup odds?

Winner

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