ICC World Twenty20 - India trying for Back-to-Back Championships

BetUS.com correspondent Juris Graney takes a look at the teams that will feature heavily at the forthcoming 2009 Twenty20 World Cup betting, which starts next Friday (June 5) across England.

Group A

INDIA

Squad: MS Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice captain), Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan .

BetUS.com odds: Futures +250; Group -900

Last tournament: World champions

Trump player: Rohit Sharma

The current Twenty20 world champions are tournament favourites this year for a very good reason. A look at their squad shows all of this year’s best players from the annual Indian Premier League tournament and masters of the T20 format. From MS Dhoni through to Irfan Pathan, each of the players are match winners and a team that, except for Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni, can bowl if required and seven of the top 10 IPL wicket-takers are Indians. Pooled against minnows Bangladesh and Ireland, India will cruise through the pool stages, which could be their only hindrance. With no tough games on the horizon, they could very well be under done when the serious side of the tournament starts, the Super Eights.

BANGLADESH

Squad: Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Masrafe Mortaza (vice-captain), Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddique, Roqibul Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Mohammad Mahmud Ullah, Rubel Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, Mohammad Mithun.

BetUS.com odds: Futures +5000; Group +600

Last tournament: Super Eights

Trump player: Mohammad Ashraful

In 2007 Bangladesh surprised everyone, including themselves, when they progressed through to the Super Eights after coming second in their pool which included South Africa and West Indies. They were found out however in the Super Eights when they failed to win a match and were bundled out of the tournament. The futures odds show just how serious they can be taken when it comes to winning this tournament. They may be able to spring a surprise and should by all rights move through to the Super Eights this year as well. May cause a few upsets along the way.

IRELAND

Squad: William Porterfield (captain), Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Trent Johnston, John Mooney, Kyle McCallan (vice-captain), Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Paul Stirling, Boyd Rankin, Regan West, Andrew White, Gary Wilson, Jeremy Bray.

BetUS.com odds: Futures +75000; Group +1200

Last tournament: Did not qualify

Trump player: Niall O’Brien

Ireland was named as the top qualifier team for this year’s event after their match against Netherlands was rained out. They were lucky to make it however after nearly coming unstuck in their pool match against Bermuda who failed to chase down a target of just 46 in nine overs. Their team is made up of players who have honed their Twenty20 skills in the English domestic competition and could spring a surprise by making it into the Super Eights, much like they did at the last World Cup where they beat Pakistan and Bangladesh in their pool. Don’t expect too much from them however.