HOW important is the World Twenty20?
It's a question still worth debating given names like Mitchell Johnson and Brendon McCullum have retired within months of the tournament kicking off. 
There is little doubt that these two greats, among plenty of others, had last year's one-day World Cup set down as the pinnacle of international tournaments, with scheduling often making Twenty20 internationals an afterthought on a jam-packed calendar.
However, following the boom of the Big Bash League and with the ICC understood to be looking at extending the cycle between World Twenty20s from two years to four after this tournament - there is a certain amount of prestige and momentum that's beginning to grow with this event. And make no mistake - Australia is absolutely desperate to win it.
The World Twenty20 crown is the only piece of silverware missing from a Cricket Australia trophy cabinet that is bursting at the seams from a century-worth of achievements. It's an extraordinary black hole in Australia's resume, given the quality of white ball teams it has fielded since the tournament's inception in 2007.Coach Darren Lehmann and captain Steven Smith have already stated this Cup is one of the last remaining items on their bucket list. Twenty20 cricket in itself can be a lottery, but for Australia to break its duck in India of all places, it will take a special effort.