Who will win the ICC World T20 Cup?

The ICC World T20 Cup is officially on in full swing and already there are signs of it being a cracker of a tournament. What makes it even more special is that the teams this year are structured in such a way it is next to impossible to pick the winner in the current edition. Here¡¯s looking at the top four teams that stand a chance at winning the tourney on October 7.

India

The inaugural winners of the Cup, India certainly has an edge in T20s what with IPL being a huge sellout in the country over the past five years. The experience of players from the IPL will only help the team and the pitches in Sri Lanka, which is hosting the tournament, is not very different from Indian surfaces, except for a little less turn and bounce.

That¡¯s another advantage that India carries apart from a fairly robust team with the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli able to win matches on their own if they strike form.

The bowling department is a little weak but comeback Singhs ¨C Yuvraj and Harbhajan ¨C will look to make the maximum gains for India. If we win, India will hold the enviable record of becoming the first nation to hold the ODI World Cup as well as World T20 Cup simultaneously.

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Pakistan

Pakistan is to T20 what South Africa is to ODIs - the team that has always fallen just short. A misjudged scoop shot by Misbah-ul Haq sealed their fate in the first T20 World Cup. But their consistency is beyond doubt.

Pakistan has been in two finals, won once and reached the semi-finals last time around. The team, which is now led by Mohammed Hafeez, will see the return of players like Abdul Razzak, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Malik and Sohail Tanvir, making this the most potent bowling attack in the tournament.

And let¡¯s not forget the ace in Pakistan¡¯s armoury ¨C Shahid Afridi who will be keen to make a mark in this edition and continue his fine form in T20s.

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West Indies

This is one team that is definitely on a high. West Indies were ruthless in their domination of New Zealand and beat the latter in all three formats of the game in their recently concluded series. This Darren Sammy led side can definitely go all the way given their mix of players and proven match winners.

This IPL¡¯s poster boy Chris Gayle is a part of the team, which means fireworks can definitely be expected. Apart from Gayle, other big hitters who found fame at the IPL such as Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith are also part of the team along with Sunil Narine and Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards who form a formidable pace attack among themselves.

West Indies is the black horse of this tournament, no doubt about it.

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Sri Lanka

This isn¡¯t really difficult to guess. The team will look to make maximum use of their home crowd as they look for their elusive first T20 title.

This is also the team that boasts of a mind-boggling array of world-class batsmen such as Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and captain Mahela Jayawardene. All-rounder Angelo Matthews and pacer Lasith Malinga are other names the opposition will have to contend with.

The team is ranked third in the ICC T20 rankings right now but without the presence of a ICC trophy, the team¡¯s validation in this format will always be questioned. Sri Lanka will look to its power performers to change that equation in its favour.

We¡¯re betting these four teams will make it to the semis but when the stakes get that high, it is almost impossible to predict who¡¯ll win, especially in a tournament as unpredictable and mercurial as T20s. Who do you think will lift the Cup?