Cricket Betting for Beginners

With the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup currently on the go in India, new fans are joining millions of existing passionate global followers that the sport already has. 

Cricket is more than a sport. For players and many supporters alike, it’s a true passion. With passion comes a desire to add to the existing excitement which is where cricket betting factors in. If you’re a new cricket fan, you may want to join in this betting action that multitudes find so appealing. If so, you’re in for a thrilling journey filled with runs, wickets, world-class players and strategic predictions. 

In this beginner’s guide, we’ll help you to better understand the basics of cricket betting. We’ll detail a few cricket betting tips and strategies, the available betting markets, and how to go about making some informed wagers.

Understanding Cricket

Cricket, like any sport, has an original set of rules and terminologies. To do a decent job betting on cricket, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with these essentials:

Formats 

Cricket is a versatile sport played in several different formats. Matches can last anywhere between a few hours and five days. The most common cricket formats are Test matches, One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 (T20) matches. Each of these has its own unique characteristics and betting markets.

Teams

Two 11-player teams contest any cricket match. Major international competitions like the current 50-over ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup take place for both men and women every four years. Some of the top International cricket teams include England, Australia, South Africa and India, among others.

Many annual domestic leagues also operate. The Indian Premier League (IPL), Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), and the English County Championship (ECC) are all popular ones. Thanks to the IPL’s success and popularity, cricket will even be returning to the Olympic Games in 2028.

Betting markets

Cricket betting offers a range of different markets. You can predict match winners, top batsmen and bowlers, and get involved in many others. Understanding these markets is fundamental to making informed bets.

Choosing a Betting Platform

Selecting a reliable betting platform to place your cricket bets is crucial. You’ll want one that offers you a broad range of betting markets. It should offer competitive odds and provide an interface that is user-friendly. Many of these types of platforms provide guides to many licenced and regulated bettingsites guaranteeing safe and secure betting experiences. 

Cricket Betting Markets

Some of the more common and popular betting markets available for cricket are as follows:

Match winner

This market is the most basic and most common one to bet on. You simply need to correctly predict the match winner to win the wager. Although match favourites do win more often, upsets can happen and earn you larger returns. England’s and South Africa’s recent losses to Afghanistan and the Netherlands in the ICC Cricket World Cup are prime examples.

Top batsman or bowler

In this market, you place bets on which player you think will score the most runs or be the highest wicket-taker. You can place this bet for either an individual match or over the duration of a tournament.

Run totals

Here you’ll need to bet on the combined number of runs scored in a match, or over a tournament. You can choose whether this total will be above or below the total that the bookmaker provides.

Team totals

This market is like the last one, except you predict the total number of runs scored by a specific team in an individual inning.

Outright winner

Sportsbooks offer outright winner markets for tournaments like the IPL or ICC Cricket World Cup. You’ll have to predict the outright winner of the tournament. Choosing the bookies’ favourite won’t get you long odds, but it can be a decent way to earn money by placing larger bets, as they’re of course more likely to win.

Live betting

Many betting platforms offer live, or in-play, wagering. This allows you to bet while a match is still on the go. In live betting markets, you can bet on outcomes like the number of runs in a specific over or the way that the next wicket will fall.

Cricket Betting Strategies

When betting on cricket, or any other sport, having a strategy in place will improve your chances of success. Certain betting strategies that sports bettors use are:

Research and analysis

Keeping updated with team news, player form and the playing and pitch conditions will help you to make more informed bets. Analysing a team or player’s past performances and the head-to-head statistics between teams will aid this even more.

Find the best odds 

By shopping around on different platforms, you’ll find that available odds for the same market may differ. Using several providers can help you find the best value for specific bets.

In-play betting

When you get more familiar with the nuances of cricket betting, try betting live. This allows you to adapt to the ever-changing dynamics of cricket matches. When you are adept enough, this feature can offer you more varied betting opportunities.

Manage your bankroll

Bankroll management is essential to successful betting, no matter the sport. Set a budget for your bets before you begin and stick to it. Wagering money you cannot afford to lose hardly ever works, so divide your bankroll between each bet and stop if you hit your budget. Chasing your losses is never a successful strategy!

Set realistic goals and learn

Don’t expect to become an overnight millionaire by betting on cricket. Set yourself realistic betting goals to enjoy your betting and embrace the constant learning process. Winning and losing both allow you to reflect on your betting and improve your knowledge and win rates in the future.