How to choose the best cricket betting site?
When looking at the top cricket betting sites, it’s a good idea to divide things into two: the important features of the betting site as a whole and how it fares when it comes to the cricket-specific features on it. Here’s a summary of what we consider most important:
Betting site as a whole
| Betting site as a whole |
What we look for |
| Payment Options |
As varied as possible; as many as possible. Instant deposits and fast withdrawals, preferably without fees. |
| Customer Support |
Different methods of reaching CS such as Live Chat, phone, e-mail and social media; knowledgeable and efficient agents. Good supply of FAQs a plus. |
| License |
Hold a valid license with the UK Gambling Commission one of the best. |
| Welcome Offer |
Generous and flexible as to how you can use it. |
| Promotions and bonuses |
Regular and giving you real value. |
| Sports offered |
The more, the better. |
| User experience |
A well-designed site, doesn’t crash, and everything is easy to find. |
Cricket betting features
| Cricket betting features |
What we look for |
| Lots of matches from tournaments all around the world. |
The more, the better. |
| Generous odds |
Both pre-match and in-play compared to the rest of the market. |
| Variety of markets |
Such as Player stats-based markets, top batsman, top bowler, man of the match. |
| Livestreaming |
Available on selected leagues with short time delays in terms of pictures. |
| Cricket betting app |
Easy to download, works well, fast, intuitive and available on both iOS and Android. |
| Cricket content |
Blogs, podcasts or cricket betting tips worth reading or listening to. |
Popular cricket betting markets
The last few years has seen a big increase in the number of cricket betting markets available ahead of the biggest matches, with the most obvious area being when it comes to markets revolving around player stats.
But the old ones are still for the most part, the most popular.
Here’s the pick of them. For detailed explanation about cricket side markets click here
Match Winner
Who will win the game? Remember that in Test cricket and First-Class cricket, there’s a draw in there as well, whereas limited-overs cricket is just a two-way market.
Toss Winner
Lots of randomness in this market but betting on who will win the toss at the start of the match remains very popular.
Top Batsman (per team)
Who will score the most runs for their team in a particular innings? Dead-heat rules apply if two or more batsmen end up on the same score.
Top Match Batsman
Similar to the above but betting on who will be the top batsman across both teams, meaning the odds on any player are generally twice as big as on the regular top batsman market.
Top Bowler
Who will take the most wickets from among the bowlers in the team? In some cases, dead-heat rules apply if two or more players take the same number of wickets. In other cases, it will go down to who conceded fewer runs when taking the same number of wickets.
Player to score a 50/100?
Will the named player (yes/no) score 50 or more, or 100 runs or more, in that particular innings?
First Innings Runs
How many runs will the team batting first score? This is generally an over/under bet (for example, over/under 250.5 runs) but can also be divided into groups. E.g., 220-250 runs @2/1, 251-280 @3/1, 281-310 runs @ 2/1.
Man of the match betting
At the end of every match, a player is chosen as the man of the match/MOM/Player of the match for their outstanding contribution to the game. He/she generally comes from the winning side and odds on all the runners are generally at least 8/1.
Match completed?
Rain in particular but also fog or other factors can stop a cricket match from being completed. This is a straight case of betting yes/no as to whether the game will end with an official result or a ‘no result’.
In-Play Cricket Betting
Cricket matches can take two hours, three-and-half hours, nine hours, four days or five days according to the format in question.
So, plenty of time in all cases to watch some of the game before placing your bet or locking in a profit thanks to Cash Out if things are going our way.
But it’s not just on the match winner market this is the case. For example, the first innings runs market is one to play in live betting rather than pre-match when you’ve had the chance to look at how the wicket is behaving and how easy it will be to score runs.
Most pre-match markets are also available in in-play betting. Take the top batsman market. You can bet on it before the game gets underway or wait for one of the openers to make a good start before getting far bigger odds (than pre-match) on one of the middle-order batsmen.
Some betting sites also offer odds relating to every over of the game in terms of how many runs will be scored or whether a wicket will fall. Meaning you have something new to bet on every 5-6 minutes.
Remember that if you’re using the Betfair Exchange, you’ll have much greater flexibility in terms of how you bet by being able to trade different markets, especially the match-winner market.
Tips and Insights for Successful Cricket Betting
We’d be lying if we said successful cricket betting in the long run is easy.
It’s a complex game at the best of times with dozens of different factors such as weather, the wicket and run rates just three of them; and cricket betting isn’t necessarily any easier!
But just like with any other sport, there are some golden rules that if you stick to, you’ll certainly be heading in the right direction. Here are our Top 7 cricket betting tips.
- Always have an eye on the weather. Rain on its way, the sun being out, or gloomy and overcast conditions all radically change the game, so it’s good to know what’s coming next on the weather forecast.
- Listen to the TV Commentators- They’re all ex-international players who know the game as well as anyone so their views as to the current state of the game are always worth listening to.
- Bowlers win matches– If two sides look well-matched in all departments, ask yourself who has the better bowlers. They’re often the ones who win games, especially in Test cricket.
- Beware of the dew factor- In the likes of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, there’s often dew on the grass in night games, making it harder to bowl. If there’s dew, the team bowling second is at a disadvantage.
- Don’t play the toss winner market- The odds of winning the toss are 50/50 yet the odds on either outcome (heads or tails) at a Sportsbook are 5/6 or around 1.85. That’s a bad bet at poor odds in any circumstances.
- Don’t pile in on a lost cause– This applies to any sport but it’s a bad idea to keep on backing a team in-play to win the match at increasingly big odds. You might win big if they come from nowhere to win but you’re more likely to just lose more money on a bet that was likely to lose anyway.
- Home advantage not everything- Home advantage used to be the single most important factor in cricket betting. But it’s not such an important factor now that so much cricket is played, and cricketers have played away at those grounds so many times before. Betting on away teams with decent records at a particular ground/country can be profitable in the long run, especially as they’re likely to be outsiders.
Major Cricket Competitions
Cricket is pretty much an all-year-round sport so you should never bet at a loss when you want to bet on it. But here are the competitions that are most worth paying attention to.
The Ashes
Played every two years and alternating between being played on English and Australian soil, it’s a five-Test Series that to these countries, means more than any other cricket event.
Home advantage has proved crucial over the last few editions in what is always a fascinating contest.
The IPL
By far the biggest, richest and loudest T20 franchise event in the world, the Indian Premier League generally takes place in India between April and May, though on occasion it has been held in South Africa or the UAE.
It’s contested by ten franchise teams and features all of the top Indian players, plus the cream of the world’s best non-Indian players, who are happy to play on the biggest stages for the biggest bucks.
IPL Official Site
T20 World Cup
Normally held every two years, there have so far been eight editions of it with six different winners; England and the West Indies have both won it twice. Defending champions England will head to the West Indies/USA in 2024 to defend their title.
T20 World Cup Official Site
ODI World Cup
Played over 50 overs rather than (T)20, this one has been around since 1975 with Australia the most successful side with five wins; the West Indies and India each have two. The next one will be in 2023 with India as hosts.
ODI World Cup Official Site
Cricket Jargon Terms You Need to Know
Cricket as a sport has very much its own language. But here are some of the most important terms when it comes to betting on it.
- A belter- A very good wicket to bat on.
- Par score– An estimate of the number of runs the team batting first is expected to score.
- Super Over– A one-off over for each side played to decide the winner when the scores are tied after 20 overs each.
- A dolly– A simple catch that was dropped.
- Mystery spinner- A spin bowler who can put multiple types of spin on the ball.
- DRS (Decision Review System)- Similar to VAR in football, it’s the use of technology to look back at incidents and reverse decisions if necessary.
- A duck– A batsman getting out for zero.
- Good toss to lose– A situation where it’s not obvious whether batting or bowling first is best and the captain doesn’t mind losing the toss.
- Hawkeye– The technology that predicts whether the ball would have gone into hit the stumps on LBW decisions.
Bottom Line On Cricket Betting
Cricket is roughly the fifth or sixth most popular sport to bet on in the UK at the moment, but the signs are that it will become even more popular than that over the next year or so.
Betting on international cricket has always been popular enough but the emergence of T20 franchise leagues all over the world, from India to the Caribbean, England to Afghanistan, has taken betting interest on it to the next level. The IPL in particular has become one of the biggest sporting events to bet on in the world, across any sport.
Increased TV coverage and live streaming has made it easier to watch and so the top cricket betting sites in the UK have worked hard to offer betting on more matches, added extra cricket betting markets and adapted products like Cash Out to work for cricket, as well.
