What Type of Bets can be made During a Cricket Game? 

Gambling as a whole is a growing industry and it’s one that has continued to thrive in an uncertain economic climate. There are many reasons for the sustained growth and a big driver in recent years has been the opening up of sports betting across the USA.

Elsewhere in the world, the emergence of certain sports has also had an effect. Different forms of specific games such as T20 cricket have played a key part here.

Diverse Industry

The gambling sector is also very diverse, and there are a number of options for anyone looking to get involved. That diversity has also helped to drive revenue forward and the extensive choice continues to keep the industry buoyant.

Customers can focus on online sports betting, or they can switch to the casino platforms. Slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and real money poker titles are widely available. Many of those games can either be played with traditional, automated software or, alternatively, players can find them in the live rooms.

In the sports betting sphere, one of the biggest growth areas is cricket. The introduction of major tournaments such as the Indian Premier League, The Big Bash in Australia and The Hundred in the UK, has helped to attract a wider audience.

That added interest has led to a wider range of betting markets and the combination has made cricket one of the top sports among the betting community. For those looking to join them, here is a list of available cricket markets.

Futures Betting

The term ‘futures’ usually relates to the outright winners of any tournament that is covered by the sportsbooks. It could be the ICC World Cup, the Indian Premier League, the World Test Championship or the Pakistan Super League.

As long as the tournament is picked up by the bookmaker in question, there will be a futures market attached. The bettor now has to assess the teams in contention and decide which of them will win. Naturally, the stronger sides will be among the favourites, and they will carry shorter odds.

The fancied sides won’t always win and there will be potential for shocks. It’s up to the bettor to do some research and make an informed decision.

Futures markets may also include options for leading run scorer and leading wicket taker during the tournament.

Match Winner

All of the bets listed here can be made during a cricket match. There are pre-game markets and these will switch to the live platforms once the action has got underway. This is the case for futures betting and also for the match winner markets.

Match betting is a good place to start for anyone new to cricket. While making a judgement isn’t always easy, the concept here is simple. Which of the two teams is going to win the match? In test matches and first class cricket, there will also be an option to bet on the draw.

In international cricket, the official ICC rankings can help with your research. They will show the comparative strengths of each team, and the best performing sides across the three formats include India, England, Australia and Pakistan.

Top Performers

The growth of cricket has led to an increase in the number of side markets available. In some parts of the world they are known as ‘prop’ bets and many of them focus on individual performers.

Who will score the most runs for their team and which bowler will return the best figures? Markets for Top Batter and Top Bowler will be extremely popular in an era where we can enjoy such brilliant individual performances.

Among the best batters right now are the so-called fab four. Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli are prolific accumulators and they will always attract interest when they appear in these markets.

For the bigger games, there will also be a Player of the Match market. Of the many side bets that are on offer, those that relate to individual performances are the most popular.

Totals Betting

There is an additional series of side markets which are known as ‘totals’ bets. Typical examples will include the total runs scored by both teams in the game, or in a specified session of a test match.

Other, less popular totals bets could relate to the total number of fours and the total number of sixes hit in a game. This type of market requires much deeper research for those who are looking to get involved.

Bettors need to consider potential weather conditions and recent scores on the ground that is being used. That extra research means that totals markets are not so popular amongst casual cricket bettors.

Cricket has been around for centuries, but the advent of new formats means that it can genuinely be considered as a growth sport. That growth has, in turn, led to the introduction of these extra cricket markets among the sportsbooks.