A tenner returns £110 on this bet that came very close to landing last year.

This bet came 34 runs and one wicket short of landing last year, so to get 10/1 odds on it this time around, when the profile of the competition has gone up to inspire these gun English players, is too good to ignore.

Root looks set to open the batting with Phil Salt for Welsh Fire, Brook is the best batter in the competition on his day and will likely top the run scoring charts if he has a good tournament, set to come in at no. 3 for Sunrisers Leeds.

Archer and Rashid are bankers to bowl their full complement for Southern Brave, second favourites to win the competition, with a good tournament taking them towards future lucrative deals in franchise competitions.

The perennial underachievers now mean business.

London Spirit have brought in a very successful backroom, with the likes of Andy Flower (Head Coach) and Mo Bobat (Director of Cricket) fresh off the back of winning back-to-back Indian Premier League (IPL) titles with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Flower led the Trent Rockets to the final in last year's Hundred as well, so he has recent pedigree in the format.

There's a 'win now' feel to the squad, as they secured the signatures of many experienced campaigners who have excelled on the international stage in recent years. With Liam Livingstone, 32, David Willey, 36, Jonny Bairstow, 36, Tymal Mills, 32, Jamie Overton, 32, and Adam Zampa, 34, ensuring they have a strong base level of performance.

MI London are understandably the favourites going in. They've taken over the Oval Invincibles who won the last three editions of The Hundred.

Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Rashid Khan and Nathan Sowter remain from the side that set the bar last season, and T20 league dynamos like Nicolas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford and Trent Boult have come in to add extra firepower.

They've got bowling options coming out of their ears and plenty of variety, along with two of the best all-rounders in the competition, who're both mainstays in the England T20 side, in Jacks and Sam Curran.

3/1 favourites might not make them as appealing, but there's a world where they are head and shoulders above the rest and steamroll their way to the trophy.

I'm surprised to see Manchester Super Giants second-bottom of the market, standing out as a value bet at 7/1.

There's some nice continuity in the side with lots of the players having already played together for the Super Giants franchise in other T20 leagues across the world.

Justin Langer as coach will know the group well, having been in charge of Lucknow Super Giants at the most recent IPL. He may also have one eye on an England coaching role in the near future, so will be keen to come off well in this competition.

MSG arguably have the best top four in the competition and should enjoy the pace and bounce at Old Trafford. Aiden Markram-Tim Seifert-Jos Buttler-Heinrich Klaasen is a world class top four in the format, that will give bowling sides heaps of problems.