Introduction to Online Cricket Betting
| Updated: September 12, 2024
No matter if you are a novice who bets just for fun or an experienced punter, we are convinced that you have heard how admired cricket is nowadays. It is oftentimes referred to as the second most popular sport after soccer, so gambling enthusiasts have no difficulty finding a trustworthy online sportsbook that has included the discipline in its portfolio. It is always a good idea to bet through major betting brands as they have proven over time that their websites provide advantageous features contributing to a hassle-free betting experience.
It is difficult to determine in which part of the world cricket has the largest number of fans. It definitely dominates the Asian scene in countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, but on the other hand, one of the most famous events is the legendary Ashes battle between England and Australia. We will tell more about this and other landmark leagues and tournaments a little later in this article. Remarkable technological advances in recent years have changed the gambling scene in all sports, including cricket. It is becoming easier and more convenient to place bets, and punters are attracted by innovative features, generous prizes, welcome bonuses, and other promotional offers.
Cricket is not one of the notably fast-paced sports but it is quite complex and characterized by many variations and diverse factors that affect the outcome so it is among the most challenging disciplines to bet on.
Basics of Online Cricket Betting
Regardless of the particular sport, it is crucial to know its technical details and understand at least the basic game rules in order to make the right predictions. Cricket is a diverse discipline that has changed over the years. Its rules have been amended several times, and new formats have been added, thus boosting cricket’s popularity to an unprecedented level.
Understanding Cricket Betting Odds
There are many factors to consider before betting on a cricket match. First of all, you should know what the different odds formats tell you about the event on which you plan to wager. They depend more on punters’ country of residence than cricket itself. Novices in the cricket betting field tend to be dismayed when they encounter odds presented in a format that is unknown to them. In fact, they have nothing to worry about, as all reputable online betting platforms allow users to adjust their accounts in such a way as to see the odds in their preferred format. What is more, there are numerous independent odds converters on the Internet but you will hardly need to use them.
In the short table at the end of this paragraph, you can see the same betting odds expressed in the three most popular odds types. Cricket betting aficionados located in India and Pakistan show a preference for the decimal odds format which is considered the easiest to understand and use. Generally speaking, decimals show the return of a $1 bet. Let’s see how to calculate your eventual profit. According to the exemplary data in our table, Team 1 to win comes with odds of 5.2. If you wager $80 and your prediction is right, your net profit will be $336 (80×5.2 – 80).
Other regions where cricket is particularly popular both among viewers and punters are the United Kingdom and Australia where the most commonly used odds format is the fractional. This odds type has a lot in common with the decimal format with some specifics of course. Fractional odds represent the ratio between the possible profit and the amount wagered. Here betting devotees see how much they will get for every dollar of their bet. Odds of 8/1 and a stake of $80 mean that in case of a correct prediction you will win $640 in addition to your initial bet amount (80×8 + 80).
The name of the American odds format is descriptive enough regarding the region where it is predominantly applied. Its principle of operation is quite specific and brings a lot of information about the upcoming cricket match. Moneyline betting odds are depicted with a minus or a plus in front of the number, thus indicating the favorite and respectively the underdog. The greater the implied probability of the favorite to win is, the bigger the difference between the – and + odds. When checking the favorite betting odds punters see how much they need to wager in order to add $100 to their bankroll. From the data in the table below it is evident that the clear favorite is Team 2 and to win $100, you will have to bet $667. However, if you think the bookmaker has wrongfully put Team 1 on the underdog position (odds of + 520) and decide to back it with a $100 stake, you may enjoy a total payout of $620.
| Odds Formats Comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Decimal Odds Format | Fractional Odds Format | American Odds Format |
| Team 1 to Win | 5.2 | 4.2/1 | + 520 |
| Team 2 to Win | 1.15 | 0.15/1 | – 667 |
| Tie | 9.0 | 8/1 | + 800 |
Main Cricket Bet Types
The complexity of cricket, which we hinted at above, not only makes it interesting to watch but also contributes to a significant variety of betting markets. This is one of the main reasons why the sport enjoys a steady interest from avid gambling enthusiasts. The number of bet types for the available matches widely varies – from 2-3 for events with little-known club teams to over 250 for major international tournaments. If you are just starting out as a cricket punter, it makes sense to gain initial experience with simpler types of bets.
Match Outcome/Series Winner – here the name speaks for itself. Betting on the match outcome is the most common wager type which is not much different than the Winner bets in other sports. All you have to do is pick which team is going to win the match. If you come upon an online bookmaker offering a three-way match betting market, you will be able to select a draw option too.
Series Winner is a similar type of bet with the difference that you have to wait for the whole series of matches to be completed in order to know if your bet is successful or not. It is far more likely to witness a draw result since duration is longer and allows for twists and turns. With the proviso that bookies have the right to set their own bet settling rules, in the general case, if a series is preliminarily abandoned for any reason, the team that is ahead after the last complete match in the series will be considered the winner.
While betting on the match outcome is the perfect option for novices to start their cricket betting experience, the Outright Winner market is more suitable for competent betting enthusiasts as it is harder to predict and therefore comes with a higher degree of risk. Punters’ goal is to predict who will win a whole tournament like the ICC World Test Championship for example. Taking the risk to bet on the upcoming title holder is rewarded with a lucrative eventual profit. The sooner you place a bet, the more profitable cricket betting odds you can benefit from.
Over/Under Bets are a term we all know from other popular sports like football and basketball. Online sportsbooks publish an overall score they believe a certain cricket event will reach and punters must predict whether the actual result will be over or under this number. In addition to this combined match bet, some bookies allow for wagering on whether each of the teams will score runs that are more or less than a predefined number.
Among the most interesting and challenging bet types are cricket player props that are related to different aspects of the game. Of these, probably the most commonly placed wager is Top Batsman where you have to predict which player will score the highest number of runs within a certain event. A fascinating variation is the Batsman Contest which opposes two players in terms of most sixes or runs scored.
Landmark Cricket Events Covered by Online Bookmakers
Given the information provided so far, we believe that you have already gained an idea of why cricket is considered an intriguing discipline, especially suitable for placing a variety of bet types. If we have to present another argument in favor of this sport, it would be the rich array of events avidly followed by thousands of sports fans and featured on online betting platforms. In fact, there is such an abundance of leagues, championships, and tournaments all around the globe, that it would hardly be possible to cover everything within the present article. However, our team made a selection of the most prominent cricket events and you are warmly welcome to take a look.
ICC Cricket World Cup
Undoubtedly, this is the most popular cricket tournament in the world. The ICC Cricket World Cup is an international championship, which is held every four years and is arguably the leading global one-day cricket competition. It is not only the biggest cricket bash but also one of the most-watched sporting events in the world. Australia is the most successful country being the one and only team to win three consecutive World Cup tournaments.
In its current format, the competition includes a qualifying phase, which takes place in the three years preceding each edition of the World Cup. The ranking after the qualifiers determines which 10 teams qualify for the tournament phase (the host country plays by right). The tournament itself takes place within about a month. It is envisaged that in 2027 the format will be changed to include the participation of 14 teams.
ICC Champions Trophy
This is probably the cricket tournament with the greatest number of amendments through the years. It was first established in 1998 under the name ICC KnockOut Tournament that was changed to Champions Trophy in 2002. The initial idea was to be a short competition aiming at raising money for cricket advancement in non-test playing countries like Kenya and Bangladesh. As it experienced an impressive commercial success, however, it was later conducted in the top cricket regions, namely India and England.
Not only the name but also the number of participants has changed back in time. In the beginning, all members of the ICC were part of the tournament, while between 2000 and 2004 associate members were also entrants. In 2009 another change was introduced allowing only the eight highest-ranked teams in the ICC ODI Rankings to take part. An interesting fact is that although being one of the best-performing cricket nations, England has never won the ICC Champions Trophy. Despite the planned final termination of this tournament, it was later decided to reinstate the event in 2025.
T20 World Cup
Often referred to as the most entertaining tournament, this is the shortest major cricket competition being a scene for some of the biggest sixes. The T20 World Cup is an international championship and is organized by cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council. The first ten teams in the current rankings participate in the World Cup accompanied by six more that have successfully taken part in the T20 World Cup Qualifier.
The global COVID pandemic has caused severalfold rescheduling of the 2021 tournament edition. Finally, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from 17 October to 14 November 2021. Evidence of the continuing popularity of the T20 World Cup came in June 2021 when the ICC announced that in 2024, 2026, 2028, and 2030 the tournament will be broadened to include 20 teams. The venues of these next four editions of the T20 World Cup are already determined, starting with joint hosting by the US and the West Indies in 2024.
Ashes Series
When talking about noteworthy cricket tournaments, one can never go without mentioning the legendary Ashes Series, the long-term rivalry between England and Australia. The Ashes date way back to 1882 when Australia took its first Test victory on English territory. One such series consists of five Tests conducted once every two years as the two countries take turns hosting the event.
The trophy is in the form of an ashes urn and stays in the hands of the team that has last won the series. Australia has been the bookies’ favorite for the last few years due to the very good statistics it has and the top-notch balance and power of the national team.
Indian Premier League
The IPL covers matches of ten Indian teams and is the most-attended cricket league in the world. The commercialization of the sport has brought to the country some high-paid international players who play side by side with local rising cricket stars and experienced players. The participating teams are not that many and this allows for the season to be completed within approximately two months, usually between March and May.
The above list is in no way exhaustive but only shows what types of cricket events punters can meet on online betting platforms. Part of the other reputable cricket leagues and competitions are the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), NatWest Series, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, ACC Asia Cup, and the Commonwealth Bank Series (Australian Tri-Series).
Elements of Good Cricket Betting Sites
One of the most sought-after features of cricket betting sites is live betting that allows punters to place their bets at any time, including during the matches. Thus, sports bettors have the chance to adjust their betting strategy in accordance with what is currently happening on the field. What makes cricket live wagering so exciting is that the odds for in-play betting markets are dynamic and automatically change as the event progresses. Top-notch sportsbooks also offer live streams of major cricket events enabling logged-in users to follow every bowl and run without leaving the website.
Making fruitful cricket bets is largely dependent on having access to comprehensive statistics information. Top online sportsbooks do not want their users to be distracted by looking for it on other websites and that’s why they present detailed data related to each match or series. The information comprises the rivalry history between the respective two teams, the results of their last matches, next scheduled events, etc. No matter how popular a sport is, there will always be newcomers to the online betting industry that need some assistance to safely start wagering. Bookies who are concerned about the well-being of their registered users have taken care to compile some useful information regarding basic cricket betting rules, explanations of the different betting markets, and special-purpose blogs covering news as well as cricket betting tips.
Cricket betting sites that enjoy large user bases are distinguished by user-friendly layouts and an abundance of betting markets. For less popular matches punters can usually wager only on the Winner option while for major events you can choose between hundreds of bets including but not limited to different Over/Under options, Totals, Player Props, etc. Just one click or tap on the selected betting market adds it to your bet slip that will automatically calculate your eventual winnings after you enter the amount you wish to wager. If you have included a live event in your bet slip and it ends before you manage to confirm your bet, the sportsbook will duly notify you.
Online Cricket Betting Tips
So far in our guide, we tried to comprehensively describe cricket in its capacity as a sport perfectly fit for placing bets on. Newcomers to the field of cricket wagering, however, may find putting so much information into practice a rather difficult task. If you are one of these punters or are just not sure how to get started, keep on reading and get acquainted with our tips for a successful cricket betting experience.
Make extensive research your priority
We know that you have met this advice in connection with other sports too, but when it comes to cricket, conducting detailed research is extremely important. Cricket is one of the disciplines in which mental work is equally important with physical strength and skills. These two aspects are inextricably linked and periods of poor form or any health issues can have an adverse impact on the player, and hence the team’s chances of finishing a match or tournament as the winner. Being aware of as recent information as possible about the form of cricket players, as well as their possible injuries, is crucial. Do not count only on official sources of information and news websites but keep an eye on social media too.
The narrower your focus, the better
A long time must have passed before you can claim that you have fully studied the specifics of a certain field, and when it is about a complex and diverse sport like cricket, this is almost impossible. That is why it is a much better betting strategy to focus on one type of competition only than jump on every single cricket match that shows up. There is such a substantial difference between the way a Test match unfolds within a period of five days and the intensity and high adrenaline of a Twenty20 game that ends in just a few hours. It may be not a bad idea to concentrate on a tournament like the T20 Blast (Vitality Blast) when you are still a cricket betting rookie.
Check weather and pitch conditions
As a sport that is practiced only outdoors, cricket is highly vulnerable to weather conditions. Even if we do not take into consideration extremes like heavy rains, unexpected storms, or excess heats, matches, and series are held in regions with so different conditions that this inevitably affects players’ performance. The dry and dusty pitches are hardly the favorite terrain for British players accustomed to the wet English weather.
Another factor that has an influence on the pitch quality is the duration of the cricket event. By the end of a five-day series, for example, the terrain is already quite worn out and mistakes and injuries are more likely. Furthermore, black-soil pitches are preferred by bowlers, while green grass coverage is favorable for batsmen and pacers.
Do not stick to one betting platform
Even if you think you have found the best possible cricket betting site, you better set up accounts with a few more bookies. This will ensure that you can take advantage of the competition between individual sportsbooks, which sometimes publish unusually favorable odds or short-term price boosts to attract new users. Another advantage of having multiple betting accounts is that you have access to a greater number of bonuses and promotional offers. When a big tournament like the Ashes or the Indian Premier League is played, betting platforms are very likely to offer extraordinary bonuses. Nowadays, many bookies try to retain the interest of their patrons by providing lucrative VIP programs and prizes.
Keep track of your cricket betting experience
It is very important to record each win and loss together with the corresponding betting odds because this will allow you to analyze your performance and make adjustments in your practice if you notice weaknesses. Maintaining this type of information will also help you better control your bankroll so that betting on cricket matches remains fun and profitable.