- No.1 ranked India will take on No.3 England in a five-match T20 series starting on January 22nd and ending on February 2nd
- The two nations last met in the game’s shortest format in the semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup last June. India convincingly won the match by 68 runs.
- The series will be the first for England with Brendon McCullum in charge. England’s red ball head coach added the white ball teams to his coaching portfolio at the beginning of the year.
- We name our best bets on the series in our latest cricket betting picks.
India will seek to shore up their position at the top of the T20 world rankings when they host England in a five-match series. England will look to move up the rankings and close the gap on India at the top.
India are the current T20 world champions. They won the 2024 edition by defeating South Africa by 7 wickets in the final. England won the 2022 edition. They beat Pakistan in the final by 5 wickets.
The two nations have played 24 T20 internationals against each other. In the head-to-head, India leads 13-11. Ten of those 24 matches were played in India. The hosts won six, England four.
The series starts on Wednesday in Kolkata. The full itinerary is as follows:
- 1st T20I: Wednesday, January 22nd, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- 2nd T20I: Saturday, January 25th, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- 3rd T20I: Tuesday, January 28th, Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot
- 4th T20I: Friday, January 31st, MCA Stadium, Pune
- 5th T20I: Sunday February 2nd, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
India vs. England; Latest Series Winner Betting
In the latest cricket betting odds, India is the -163 betting favorite to win the series.
In the props markets for the series correct score, India to win 5-0 is +900, a 4-1 win is +333, and a 3-2 win for the hosts is +200.
The latest odds on an England series win is +130. A 5-0 win for Jos Buttler’s team is +2000, a 4-1 win is +700, and a 3-2 win is +250.
More cricket betting online options are available on our odds table.
India -163
India suffered a huge setback in the Test arena when they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia.
The 3-1 series defeat was their second in succession after a 3-0 loss at home to New Zealand.
The hosts will be hoping that a return to the shorter format will bring better fortune against England.
But all is not going to plan. India will have to make do without the inspirational Jasprit Bumrah, the experienced quick bowler suffered back issues in the Test series against Australia, and the Indian selectors opted not to risk him.
Into his place comes the returning Mohammed Shami.
Also missing out on places in the 15-man squad are wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Stepping in as cover behind the stumps will be Sanju Samson or Dhruv Jurel.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk)
England +130
After England’s abysmal showing at the 2024 T20 World Cup, head coach Matt Mott paid the price with his job. Mott was also in charge of England’s poor showing in the 50 Over World Cup in 2023.
The two combined failures were enough to cancel out Mott’s T20 World Cup win in 2022. Into his position comes England’s current red ball coach, Brendon McCullum.
McCullum will now combine the two roles. This will be his first assignment in a role many thought would have suited him better when he was originally announced as the head coach of the red ball team in 2022.
McCullum and England have opted to keep Jos Buttler on as a captain.
Buttler was in charge of the team that won the 2022 T20 World Cup, but also of the debacles in 2023 and 2024, when England failed in their quests to defend both trophies without much of a fight.
The series is a bit of a reset for England, who have backed their skipper and new coach by naming an extremely strong squad.
Fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer are both included. And after impressive performances in the Test team, Jamie Smith looks set to make his T20 debut for England.
England Squad: Jos Buttler (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith (wc), Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood
India vs. England betting picks and best bets
England has named a strong squad, but history tells us they don't do well in India.
The Three Lions will be searching for the right team balance between batter and bowlers and it could be India that gets off to the stronger start.
India is good value to win the series, and that is our pick.
If England is to get something out of this series, it is likely to be only by a small margin. We also feel they will have to come from behind to potentially win it.
There are two options here. Take a chance and wait for the first match to finish, and if England loses, back them at the better odds.
The second option is to have a small cover bet on England to win the series 3-2.
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