A Complete Guide to T20 World Cup 2024

The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, previously known as the World T20, is the ninth edition of the tournament in just 17 years. It is the largest one so far, featuring 20 teams. The event is being jointly held in the Caribbean for the second time and in the United States, which is hosting its first matches in limited-overs World Cups.

England enters the tournament as the defending champions and aims to secure their third title, surpassing West Indies as the most successful team in T20 World Cup history. In the previous edition, England won their first global tournament in the Caribbean. They overcame a challenging situation by qualifying narrowly in the first group stage and then went on to win five consecutive matches, including a victory over Australia in the final at Kensington Oval. This year's final will also be held at Bridgetown's Kensington Oval.

After becoming back-to-back World Cup holders by defeating Pakistan in the final at the MCG two years ago, England had a disappointing performance in the 50-over tournament held in India last autumn. As a result, they are now solely the champions in the white-ball format and are undergoing changes in their limited-overs team under the leadership of head coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler. The tournament commences on June 1, 2024, and concludes with its final match, which is the 55th match, 28 days later on June 29, 2024.

Countries hosting matches

The tournament is being shared for the second time as the Caribbean and the US have come together to co-host it. This collaboration follows the previous instance when the UAE and Oman co-hosted the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The joint bid by Cricket West Indies and USA Cricket was successful, much to the delight of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC has long recognised the United States as a key area for the growth of the sport and expressed satisfaction that the two cricket boards collaborated to secure the hosting rights.

In 2021, Paraag Marathe, who serves as the chair of USA Cricket and Leeds United, highlighted the strategic importance of the USA in cricket's growth worldwide. He pointed out that hosting a major event in 2024 would serve as a crucial catalyst for improving facilities, establishing a professional league, expanding the fanbase, and garnering public and corporate support. Marathe further stated that the tournament would leave a lasting legacy of upgraded facilities and widespread enthusiasm for the sport throughout America, leading up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

A total of 39 matches will be divided among six grounds in the Caribbean and six venues in the United States.

In the Caribbean, the matches will be hosted at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua & Barbuda, Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Providence Stadium in Providence, Guyana, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Brian Lara Cricket Academy in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago.

The remaining 16 matches will be held at three locations in the United States: Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, a temporary venue constructed at Eisenhower Park in Long Island, New York, Central Broward Park in Lauderhill, Florida, and Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Where to watch the competition

The 2024 T20 World Cup, like all ICC tournaments in the current rights cycle, will be exclusively televised live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. If England reaches the final, as they did in the 2022 and 2019 World Cups, there is a possibility that Sky may allow the match to be broadcast live on Channel 4.

The BBC's agreement with the ICC for audio rights to its global tournaments ended after the 2023 50-over World Cup in India, and a new auction took place in March 2024. 

In India, the tournament will be available for free streaming on Hotstar.

England T20 World Cup squad

Jofra Archer has been included in the 15-man squad for England, while Chris Woakes has not cut a seam bowler. Chris Jordan has also been selected, with his fielding skills and batting prowess in the lower order considered important factors by the selectors. Additionally, Harry Brook has returned to the squad after missing England's tour of India.

Full Squad goes as follows: 

Jos Buttler (Lancs, captain), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook (both Yorks), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Notts), Tom Hartley (Lancs), Will Jacks, Chris Jordan (both Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancs), Moeen Ali (Warwicks), Adil Rashid (Yorks), Phil Salt (Lancs), Reece Topley (Surrey), Mark Wood (Durham)

Qualified Teams

Hosts: West Indies and United States

Top eight teams from the 2022 T20 World Cup: England, Pakistan, New 

Zealand, India, Australia, Netherlands, South Africa, and Sri Lanka

Based on the ICC T20i rankings: Afghanistan and Bangladesh

From the European qualifiers: Ireland and Scotland

From the East Asia-Pacific qualifier: Papua New Guinea

From the Americas qualifier: Canada

From the Asia qualifiers: Nepal and Oman

From the Africa qualifiers: Namibia and Uganda

Format and Group Stage

The initial group stage is divided into four groups, each consisting of five teams. In this stage, every team will play against the other four teams in their group. A win will earn a team two points, while a no result will result in one point. In the event of a tie, a Super Over will be played to determine the winner. 

The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage. This stage consists of two groups, each comprising four teams. In the Super Eight stage, each team will play three games. 

The top two teams from each of the Super Eight groups will qualify for the semi-finals. The winner of Group One will play against the runner-up of Group Two, and vice versa, in the semi-finals.

The group stage draw for the tournament:

Group A:

- India

- Pakistan

- Ireland

- Canada

- United States

Group B:

- England

- Australia

- Namibia

- Scotland

- Oman

Group C:

- New Zealand

- West Indies

- Afghanistan

- Papua New Guinea

- Uganda

Group D:

- South Africa

- Sri Lanka

- Bangladesh

- Netherlands

- Nepal

The previous winners of the T20 World Cup:

2007: India

2009: Pakistan

2010: England

2012: West Indies

2014: Sri Lanka

2016: West Indies

2021: Australia

2022: England

Based on the odds, the favourites to win the T20 World Cup:

1. India - 10/3

2. England - 9/2

3. Australia - 9/2

4. South Africa - 7/1

5. New Zealand - 17/2

6. Pakistan - 9/1

7. West Indies - 12/1

It's important to note that these odds are subject to change and may vary depending on the source and the time of the tournament.