Odds and Predictions for Women's T20 World Cup

Cricket fans are gearing up for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup that will take place in the UAE from October 3 - 20. Matches are now scheduled to be played across two main venues. Originally scheduled to take place in Bangladesh, unrest in the country caused the ICC to move the tournament for the safety of players and fans alike. 

While not as popular worldwide as soccer is, cricket does enjoy a massive amount of popularity around the globe, especially in the countries that play it professionally. The women’s version of the game has been steadily growing in popularity too as more women are now able to access the game from a younger age across more countries. 

With this in mind, here’s a look at how the odds for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup are looking and some predictions for who the main contenders will be.

A Great Alternative

With all the growing popularity of cricket, even countries like the USA where cricket was initially never very popular are now beginning to embrace it professionally. Cricket is also fast becoming a terrific alternative for punters and now features a wider array of ways to bet on the game. According to iGaming expert Gavin Beech, the list of cricket betting sites that now cover the market more substantially has widely expanded. 

With many sportsbooks now also covering odds for Women’s cricket, this is another indicator of how much more popular the sport is growing and diversifying. With top-rated players like Beth Mooney and Sarah Glenn often turning heads for their skills, the T20 format of the game has also been a revelation in the women’s game. As far as predicting which nation will emerge victorious in this year’s World Cup, for now, many of the usual suspects continue to lead the charge as favorites. Here’s a look at how the odds currently stack up for the tournament.       

Odds and Predictions 

Australia 

Australia is currently heavily favored to win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. That should come as no surprise. Since 2009, there have been eight previous Women’s T20 World Cups. Australia have won six of them and finished as runners-up in the other two. As a result, they currently go into the tournament as favorites with 5/6 (-120) odds. 

Leading the line is Meg Lanning, widely regarded as one of the best female cricketers of all time. Her aggressive batting style and razor-sharp cricketing brain have seen her lead the Australians to three wins and a runner-up spot in the last four T20 World Cups. She’s also led her nation to an ODI World Cup win, making her a living legend of Women’s cricket no matter the format.   

India

India are next on the list as they currently sit at 4/1 (-400) odds going in. India has shown a lot of potential in recent times. In the 2020 tournament, they finished runners-up to Australia, who won the final by 85 runs that year. 

Nevertheless, India’s Women’s team has steadily improved in the last decade and now boasts a formidable team led by Harmanpreet Kaur. Having modeled her batting style on her idol, Virender Sehwag, Preet is known for her ferocious batting style and devastating slog sweep.   

England 

Next up on the list of contenders is England at 9/2 (+450) odds. Led by Heather Knight, the English captain was granted an OBE, which should tell you all you need to know about how highly her nation values her contributions to the game of cricket. 

As one of only two other teams to ever win a women’s T20 World Cup, were it not for the dominance of the Australians, England would have been the number one women’s team in T20 world cricket. Having been T20 World Cup runners-up three times, their only win came during the inaugural tournament in 2009, granting them the distinction of being the first-ever winners of it.    

South Africa

The South African team comes in next. Sporting odds of 17/1 (+1700), their odds may be far below the likes of Australia but they still have a strong team that can be devastating on their day. Led by Captain Laura Wolvaardt, she currently opens the batting for the Proteas and boasts a T20 batting record that includes 50s on 11 occasions and a 100 from 63 innings.  

With last year’s World Cup taking place in South Africa, the team came agonizingly close to pulling a win as they made it to the final. In the end, Australia won by 19 runs but the South Africans gave a fine account of themselves and could go all the way if they play like that again at this year’s tournament. With a proud cricketing tradition in the nation, South Africa can’t be ruled out as a serious contender again.  

West Indies 

Lastly, we have the West Indies who are currently commanding odds of 20/1 (+2000). Although the team has only appeared in one final since the tournament’s inception, the Windies have the honor of being the only other team aside from England to have ever broken Australia's domination of the tournament and actually won one. 

That win came back in the 2016 tournament that was hosted by India. The West Indies beat Australia by 8 wickets that year, etching their name into the annals of the tournament forever. Led by Hayley Matthews, the 26-year-old Captain opens the batting for the team and is quite handy with the ball too. 

Having scored a 100 twice in the T20 format and amassing 13 more 50s, Matthews and the West Indies remain one of the most exciting prospects to watch at this year’s tournament. Despite not featuring among the main contenders this year, the West Indies are certainly capable of repeating their epic performance in 2016. 

Summary of Predictions and Odds

As excitement for the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup heats up, the favorites going into the tournament line up as follows: 

• Australia - 5/6 (-120)
• India - 4/1 (-400)
• England - 9/2 (+450)
• South Africa - 17/1 (+1700)
• West Indies - 20/1 (+2000)

With a massive array of online betting options now available, everything from all kinds of women’s sports, eSports, and even politics can now be wagered on. While time will tell who’s eventually crowned T20 champions at the upcoming Women’s World Cup, what is clear is that the tournament looks set to be one of the most exciting iterations yet. For anyone looking for an alternative to the more widely supported sports, this year’s tournament may just be what you’re looking for.