With over 2.5 billion participants worldwide, cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world, second only to soccer. With so many opportunities to bet, both experienced and novice sports fans and bettors should understand how to bet on a cricket match. In this guide, we will go over the different types of cricket betting, the individual bets that can be placed, how to read betting odds, and strategies for betting on cricket and winning.
Reading Cricket Betting Odds
Reading standard cricket match odds is similar to reading odds for any other major sport. The most common method for betting on cricket is a moneyline bet, or simply picking the winner of the game. A moneyline bet in a cricket match would have the following odds:
- -200 Australia
- +170 South Africa
The odds listed above are in American odds, with the favorite denoted by a minus (-) and the underdog denoted by a plus (+). In the preceding example, if someone bet $100 on the +170 underdog, South Africa, and won, the bettor would profit $170 (recovering their $100 bet plus $170 more). If someone bet $100 on Australia, the -200 favorite, and won, they would profit $50 (recovering their $100 bet plus $50).
Other formats in which odds are listed include decimal odds (1.9), in which your potential return is multiplied by the listed odds, and fractional odds (3/2), which represent the amount you would win in relation to the amount you would have to bet in a ratio.
Check out our odds calculator to see how much you could win or to convert between odds formats.
How to Win at Cricket Betting
Being successful wagering on cricket, like all sports, comes down to knowing how to bet on a cricket match. Knowledge of the sport, the players, and the competition formats are essential, but if you are unfamiliar with the available online sports betting formats, it will be much more difficult for you to bet on cricket and win.
We outline the most popular online gambling formats and the various ways to bet on a cricket match below.
Winner of the match
As previously stated, the most popular bet in cricket, as in any other major sport, is a moneyline bet on the match winner. Depending on the format of the competition, some sportsbooks allow you to bet on a draw. There are also “double chance” cricket bets, a popular soccer betting format in which a team can win or draw.
Betting on the match winner is an easy way for new bettors or casual fans to add stakes to a game and win at cricket betting.
Runs in Innings
Betting on the number of runs scored in an inning is another popular way for people to wager on a cricket match. Fans can bet on the exact number of runs scored in an inning, or on the OVER/UNDER of an online sportsbook’s predicted run total. Some cricket formats, such as T20, only have two innings, with each cricket team batting once. In other formats, the teams alternate batting for four or more innings.
Cricket Betting on the First Ball/First Over
If bettors want to bet on a more immediate outcome, they can wager on the outcome of a cricket match’s first ball or first over. Some cricket world cup online betting sites list odds for specific first-ball outcomes (a six, four, wicket, etc.), but many simply list an OVER or UNDER run total for the first ball and the first over.
Total Cricket Betting on Individuals and Teams
Fans can bet on the total runs scored by an individual player or the total runs scored by a team in the match, just like they can bet on innings runs or first ball/first over outcomes. Books determine the side and player totals, on which fans can bet OVER or UNDER.
Some books may also list whether a player will score a century (100 runs) or a half-century (50 runs) as a separate total bet for some players. Some books also offer the option to wager on the total number of runs scored by an opening pairing.
Cricket Betting Live
Many sportsbooks also offer live betting, which allows fans to bet on many of the above formats while watching a game. Aside from constantly changing odds for standard formats, live in-play cricket betting can include unique formats such as the outcome of the next ball or the next over, as well as opportunities for people looking for new ways to bet on cricket.
How to Profit from Cricket Prop Betting
Cricket prop bets allow fans to wager on in-game events that do not affect the game’s outcome and diversify their cricket betting strategy. Some betting markets can have dozens of prop bets for any given game, depending on the game or format, but outlined below are some of the most popular cricket props for fans researching how to bet on cricket and win.
Toss a coin
You can bet on which side of a cricket match’s opening coin toss will win, and some books allow fans to bet on which side of the coin will win — heads or tails.
Best Batsman/Best Bowler
Fans who want to bet on cricket stars rather than match events or outcomes can look to top batsman or top bowler props. A top batsman bet can be placed on which individual player will score the most runs, or on which team the leading run scorer will be from. A top bowler bet is on who will take the most wickets in a game.
The majority of Sixes
Fans can bet on which player or team will have the most sixes during a match, similar to a top batsman prop bet.
Cricket Betting Events
Cricket, like other popular international sports, has a variety of competition formats and events that take place throughout the year. Individuals interested in learning how to bet on a cricket match should first determine the format and competition on which they wish to wager.
T20 cricket in the Indian Premier League
The IPL features eight teams from Indian cities and states and a 14-game schedule that runs from March to May each year. The IPL is a T20 cricket format with only two innings (one per side) of a maximum of 20 overs each. Many of the player props and team totals are much lower than in other formats due to the condensed format.
Because of the shorter game length and offensive-oriented style of play, the IPL and its Australian counterpart, the Big Bash League, may be ideal for fans just learning how to bet on cricket.
International One-Day Events
The One Day International (ODI) cricket format is used for matches between the world’s best cricketing nations. An ODI, like a T20, is played in two innings, with each side getting to bat only once, but the maximum overs is more than 20, often 50, and games can last more than eight hours. This is the format used in the ICC World Cup for fans looking to bet on cricket matches between international opponents.
Cricket Test Matches
While T20 and ODI cricket are becoming more popular, experienced cricket fans and bettors will be familiar with test cricket, which is considered the sport’s purest form. Test cricket, which dates back to the late 1800s, is a days-long version of the game that consists of four innings and hundreds of overs. Both teams bat twice per match and bowl and field alternately for up to 90 overs per day, or until the batting team is bowled out.
You are now prepared to wager on any cricket match or format after learning how to bet on cricket. Fortunately, it is one of the most popular sports in the world, so you should have no trouble finding an event to bet on in order to make some money. Check out our cricket betting strategy guide for more cricket betting tips and strategies.
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