While football rules the global online betting landscape, things are different in India. Betting may be illegal due to outdated laws, but that’s not stopping Indian bettors to put their money on cricket, football, and many other sports. International sports betting sites have realized how big the market in India is, opening their geo services to players in the country and paying more attention to cricket betting in general.
This particular market is getting more and more popular thanks to the growing cricket interest in the world. That’s mostly because of IPL’s incredible popularity and rich contracts for the best players in the world such as Virat Kohli. England may be the cradle of football and cricket, but the latter enjoys stellar reputation in India thanks to online betting sites.
More specifically, it’s all thanks to the wide range of cricket betting options of which we’ll list the most popular ones below.
Outright Betting
Let’s start with one of the most popular sports betting options – the outright market. In short, in this futures market you’re predicting who wins a tournament or competition. For example, if India wins the next ICC Cricket World Cup or if the Mumbai Indians can dethrone the Titans this season.
Odds for this market are available way before the event begins. Of course, they might shorten for favourites as the end of the competition or tournament approaches, or they might go longer for some teams. Either way, it’s a bet that can bring great profit if you’re a big cricket fan whose predictions usually end up correct.
Match Betting
Now for the matches, which is the most typical type of cricket bet you’ll find at most bookies. Match betting—also known as match winner—is a simple bet type where you predict who wins the match. For example, if India meets England at the World Cup, you can put money on one team or the other.
The outcome is straightforward to calculate. If the team you’ve chosen wins, you win your betting slip. If it loses, you lose your bet. Should the match end in a tie, your bet might be void. But, that depends on the sportsbook. At some, you might get a minimum payout for a tie.
Tied Match
This type of market needs no special introduction. It’s a bet made on a match to end tied. In this case, you’re not picking a team to win. This bet type is most commonly used in cricket test games, one of the three forms of cricket recognized by the ICC. These matches often end in ties, so it makes sense to bet on them instead of the IPL where every team’s looking to win each match.
Series Winner
Series winner is another common bet in cricket. When you put your money on it, you’re betting on a team to win a series instead of a single match. In general, it’s a series between two teams in a best of three or best of five wins. Choose the team to win the series, and you win your betting slip. If it loses, you lose your stake.
Top Batsman
Now here’s an interesting cricket betting market that focuses on individuals rather than teams. Top batsman is a very popular market among Indian bettors, allowing you to choose the player that might score the most runs in a match or an event. For example, you can pick Virat Kohli as the top batsman in the World Cup or the IPL, and he’ll most likely delivery.
The likelier the outcome, the shorter the odds. But, if you place this bet months before the event, you might get better odds. Because once Kohli settles in as the tournament or season progresses, you’ll realize that no other player can touch him. That’s why he’s a legend.
Top Bowler
Why stop on top batsman? Many bettors would like to try their luck on the top bowler of an event or a series, which essentially works like its opposite. You bet on a player who’ll take the most wickets, with separate categories for top bowlers in innings, matches, or series.
This underrated bet type usually takes a backseat to the top batsman market. But, if you ask us, that sometimes gives it advantage in the form of better odds, and we’re all in it to win a bit more Rupees.
Over/Under
The over/under market, also known as O/U or totals, is one of the most popular sports betting markets at online betting sites. It allows you to bet on the total score which might be over or under an imaginary line set by the bookie. To be more specific, it involves the number of runs scored by both teams in a game, not the outcome.
For example, a bet on over 6 means you’ll win if the total score is over 6. Since it’s a much broader category, this type of bet is less risky than, say, handicaps or live betting.
Handicap
Handicaps can be quite a lucrative option, but they’re not for new bettors. They involve a hypothetical situation where one team is given an advantage, typically the underdog. It’s a way to even the field when there’s a great quality disparity between two teams. Bookies add or deduct points from the final score which has a major impact on the odds.
The higher the handicap, the bigger the payout. But, that’s often the draw for seasoned cricket bettors who can’t resist the challenge.
Live Cricket Betting
Do you know what live betting is? By definition, it allows us to do something we never could in the era of betting shops – betting on live matches. Live cricket betting must be on this list for many reasons. First, it revolutionized how we bet on cricket online, allowing us to bet on in-play matches. That opens up the betting field more than ever, so now you can bet on next wicket and other exciting markets.
Live betting is the future of all betting types, and not just for cricket. Some betting sites may come with a live streaming option so you can watch the match from your computer or mobile device and be more attentive to any changes that may affect the next or final outcome.
