Cricket Betting Tips: How to Place Effective Cricket Bets
With varying competitions, competitive players and a big international stage, cricket is up there with the most-watched sports on the planet. Spectators can follow their international teams throughout some of the most prestigious tournaments and formats, including the Ashes, T20, One Day and more.
Not only is cricket a highly viewed sport, but it is also among the top sports across online betting markets, where you can browse the wide range of available options.
Introduction to Cricket Betting
To avid cricket fans, cricket rules read like the alphabet - they are simple, effective, and create the boundaries of the game that we love. To non-cricket followers, the rules read like algebra. In this article, we endeavour to help you understand the basics of cricket, what to watch for when preparing your cricket betting strategies, and key factors you need to know before placing your cricket bets.
The sport of cricket is dynamic, thrilling, and exciting – fortunes can wildly fluctuate throughout the game, and so can the odds. Some say cricket is the sport with the most 1.01 shots beaten - it’s because anything can happen.
Preparing for Successful Cricket Betting
For those who aren’t aware, cricket is one of the most statistic-driven sports in the world. It’s a favourite among maths magicians and number droids, because they can be so revealing about a player’s strength and weakness in a certain discipline. A key measure of the success of both batters and bowlers is their average. The higher the batter’s average number of runs per innings is, the better. The lower the bowler’s number of average runs per wicket, the better. These are two basic examples, but you can extrapolate this method to hundreds of different performance metrics. Having a good idea of a player’s average will benefit those betting on top bowler or top batter markets.
Before placing your bets, it is a good idea to analyse the form of the cricket team and its statistics. This can help you make an informed decision when betting on a particular team or match.
Firstly, have a look at the recent form of the teams playing in the fixture. Check how many matches each team has won or lost, how they fared in each type of cricket (test matches, one-day internationals or Twenty20) and how the teams compare against each other. Also, consider factors such as home advantage and conditions that might affect the result.
Then it is time to delve into the team’s statistics. Look at which players are performing consistently well - those with an impressive average or strike rate. Also, look at the bowling and fielding stats for each team as these can provide valuable insights into how the teams are likely to perform in a particular match.
Finally, keep track of injuries or other factors that might affect the outcome of the match. This is especially important if there has been any significant changes to player line-ups or if conditions are not ideal.
Key Factors Influencing Cricket Betting
Pitch and weather conditions can have a large impact on how you bet in cricket. Generally, faster pitches with more bounce promote more aggressive batting styles and higher scoring games overall. Slower pitches, on the other hand, encourage defensive tactics and low-scoring matches. Depending on the style of play that is expected for a certain pitch will determine what types of bets you should make.
For example, if the pitch is expected to be fast and bouncy, then you may want to bet on higher scoring games or more runs being scored in a particular innings. On the other hand, if the pitch is likely to be slow and low-scoring, then you may want to bet on teams that will employ defensive strategies such as spinners, as they are more likely to get wickets on a slow pitch.
If the weather is expected to be hot and dry which can cause the pitch to become even slower, then you may want to bet on teams that have good spin bowling options and defensive batting strategies.
Like all other sports betting opportunities, it’s also worth noting the team news, injuries, head-to-head records, and local rivalries. Ultimately, there is no magic formula to cricket betting - but the more you prepare, the likelier you are to succeed.
Popular Types of Cricket Bets
There are thousands of pre-match and in-play, cricket prediction markets to enjoy with LeoVegas - the most popular of which are listed below:
A. Match Result and Outcome Bets involve betting on the overall result of a match, such as who will win or if it will end in a draw.
B. Top Batsman and Bowler Bets involve betting on which players will be the highest scorer (batsman) or wicket taker (bowler) for their team in a match.
C. Innings Runs and Boundary Bets involve betting on the total number of runs scored in an innings or how many boundaries (four or sixes) will be hit during the match.
D. Player Performance and Milestone Bets involve betting on specific achievements made by individual players, such as reaching certain milestones (e.g., century or five-wicket haul).
E. Toss and Coin Toss Outcome Bets involve betting on the outcome of the toss (heads or tails) before a match starts, as well as the outcome of the coin flip (without seeing it). This type of bet is typically only available in certain markets.
Developing a Cricket Betting Strategy
Once you have found your favourite cricket betting markets, the next step is to develop a strategy. Here’s how you can best do that ahead of every cricket match:
A. Identifying Value Bets and Odds: When looking for a cricket betting strategy, it is important to identify the value of potential bets and understand the odds associated with those bets. This means studying the form and history of individual players, teams, or matches so you can determine which outcomes are likely to yield more successful returns.
B. Applying Statistical Analysis and Data Interpretation: Once you have identified the value of a bet, it is important to use statistical analysis to interpret the data behind each match or tournament. This involves looking at win-loss ratios, probabilities, averages, and other metrics in order to make more informed betting decisions.
C. Bankroll Management and Staking Plans: Cricket betting requires a sound financial strategy in order to ensure that you are able to make long-term profits. Bankroll management involves setting aside an amount of money for your betting activities, and then managing it carefully by setting up staking plans and allocating appropriate amounts of money for each bet.
D. Assessing Risk and Managing Losses: Gambling carries inherent risks, so it is important to assess the risk associated with each bet and prepare for potential losses. This means setting realistic expectations of winnings, diversifying your bets, and understanding when to walk away from a game or tournament. By doing so, you can minimize your losses and ensure that your cricket betting remains enjoyable and profitable in the long run.
Tips for In-Play Cricket Betting
A. Reading the Game and Changing Conditions: In play cricket betting requires an understanding of the game in order to be successful. When betting on cricket, it’s important to look at more than just individual players – you need to consider team dynamics, changing conditions, and any potential momentum shifts. Always stay up-to-date with the latest news about injuries, player changes, and the conditions of the pitch. This will give you a better sense of what’s likely to happen during an upcoming match or game.
B. Live Betting Markets and Opportunities: With live betting markets available for most cricket matches, it’s possible to get in on the action when something unexpected happens. To take advantage of these opportunities, it’s important to continuously monitor the market prices and look for any significant changes in the odds.
C. Betting on Momentum Shifts and Key Moments: Watching live matches is key to understanding the momentum of a game. When betting in-play, look for any sudden shifts or key moments that could have an impact on the outcome – such as an injury to a star player, or some unexpectedly good bowling from one team. If you spot something significant happening, consider placing a bet before the market catches up and adjusts its odds accordingly.
D. Recognizing Market Overreactions: The live betting markets can often overreact to certain events. If you recognize this happening, take advantage of the opportunity by betting against the crowd. Look at the odds offered for a particular outcome and decide if they seem fair – if not, that may be a sign that the market is overreacting. By making contrarian bets in these situations, you can often capitalize on the market’s uncertainty.
What makes cricket betting so popular?
With the rise of many international cricket tournaments, betting on cricket has become an ever more popular selection for punters.
You can find that there are so many countries participating in these cricket tournaments, with many of them possessing good quality, making for competitive games. As you follow each, there is the option to bet outright and live due to the ever-growing online sportsbook.
Below you can find the variations of cricket that are available for you to bet on at LeoVegas NZ.
Test Cricket
As part of Test Cricket, international teams compete against each other over four innings. Due to the format of the games, they can last up to five days, making it one of the longer sports for spectators to follow.
During innings, one team will take up the role of batting whilst the other fields. The game provides each team with the chance to bat and field twice.
One Day International Cricket
One Day International (ODI) Cricket is also a form of international cricket, however, the focus is based on limited overs. This means that teams will play a set number of overs for the game's duration.
With many of these varying forms of cricket, the rules can vary extensively, which is something to be aware of before considering the betting markets for each.
Included in ODI cricket is two major tournaments; the Cricket World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy.
T20 Cricket
T20 Cricket represents one of the most recent additions to the world of cricket, beginning in the early 2000s. It has become known for its shorter and more limited format, with overs being capped at 20 and innings slightly shorter.
Due to the shorter duration of the game, this form of cricket is certainly growing in popularity, with betting markets also available.
For those looking to follow T20 Cricket, you can follow competitions such as the Indian Premier League, Women’s T20 Challenge and more.
Understanding Cricket Betting Odds
Before you begin browsing the online betting markets for cricket, you will need to be aware of the different odds on offer and what they mean within the world of online cricket betting. If you’re new to the sport, chances are you’ll be less familiar with what the odds mean and how you achieve wins.
To improve your understanding of odds, familiarize yourself with the rules set for each form of cricket, as this can alter widely. You may also see odds displayed as fractionals or decimals, as both are commonly used on betting markets. If you prefer one option more, you can adjust how they are displayed, making it easier to read and understand the odds.
How To Calculate Cricket Betting Odds
Let’s use an example.
In a One Day International (ODI) between New Zealand and India, India was given odds of 1.25 to win. These odds represent a reflection of the bookmaker's evaluation of New Zealand coming out victorious.
To work out your potential winnings based on the given odds, the following calculation needs to be done:
Winnings = (odds * stake) - stake
So - let’s say that you put $100 on India to win with the odds of 1.25.
(1.25 * $100) - $100 = $25 winnings
This same calculation can be used with any decimal odd given. Here are some more examples:
- Odds of 4.0: (4.0 * $1,00) - $100 = $300 winnings
- Odds of 3.5: (3.5 * $1,00) - $100 = $250 winnings
- Odds of 9.0: (9.0 * $100) - $100 = $800 winnings
The same calculation applies to different stakes, too. Whether you fancy betting larger amounts of NZDs or want to play it safe with smaller amounts, this calculation will continue to show the return you might make.
Here’s some examples of different stakes, when the odds are 8.0:
- $1000 stake: (8.0 * $1000) - $1000 = $7000 winnings
- $3000 stake: (8.0 * $3000) - $3000 = $21,000 winnings
- $500 stake: (8.0 * $500) - $500 = $3500 winnings
Although confusing at first, odds are incredibly simple to understand once you’ve had a bit of practice. The more you understand about odds, the greater your chances of making profitable cricket bets.
How to bet on cricket
Once you have figured out the odds, betting on cricket games is really easy:
- Search for Cricket games using the Search bar on our Sports Betting page
- Select the event you want to bet on or check the outrights section if you want to place an outright bet
- Select the team and betting line
- Enter the bet amount and click on the "PLACE BET" button
Expert Cricket Betting Tips
In order to get the most out of your bet, it’s important to understand where the most profitable opportunities lie. The trick is to bet tactfully, and with the following cricket betting tips on hand to help you out, your chances of making a return will be far greater.
Before you know it, you’ll be able to look at betting tips and know exactly what to put your money on!
Analyse Rankings and Ratings
For every form of cricket, it is recommended to use two essential bits of information to help make the best betting decisions - ranking charts and player/team statistics.
What Are Cricket Rankings and Ratings?
All cricket teams are given a rating based on their total number of points and games played. From here, the teams are then ranked in correlation to their rating. Looking at these ratings and rankings should give you a pretty clear indication as to whether the team will help you to make a betting profit.
How Reliable Are Cricket Rankings When Betting?
Although easy to follow, it’s worth noting that you shouldn’t solely rely on rankings to make a betting decision. There are many factors which can influence points and rankings, and these influences will not be clear when looking at the ranking board. What we’re trying to say here is that winnings are sometimes unpredictable due to off-field issues.
Let’s put it into perspective: cricket teams typically average a period of three to four years before meeting each of the teams both home and away. One match could change everything, depending on a whole variety of factors. For this reason, it’s very important to estimate your judgments over one complete cycle.
Team rankings can also be deceptive due to the change in conditions that touring cricket teams face. For example, Indian teams may struggle to acclimatise to the bounce of the pitches in Australia. This will affect their performance, and as a result, may even affect their points.
It is also worth noting if any big matches are coming up - if so, rankings may be slightly more unreliable. If a team has a particular star player that needs to rest before the big games, they won’t be in play beforehand. Without their skill, the team may suffice and miss out on points as a result. Although this may seem like a problem in the short-term, their chances of winning a bigger game and driving back up the ranks will soar.
To put it simply - it is worth analysing rankings and ratings in order to get a clearer understanding of the top-performing teams at that moment in time. But, never rely solely on these statistics. Combine this analysis with the rest of the tips mentioned in this guide, instead!
Pay Attention To The Weather Forecast
All professional cricket betters will keep an eye out on the weather forecast before deciding where to place their money.
Near enough any weather condition will affect the quality of a cricket match - overcast conditions may favour team bowling, but a dry and sunny day will be advantageous to the batsmen side instead. And, if it rains, there’s a higher chance of a draw as less cricket will be played.
When analysing your cricket betting tips and predictions, don’t forget to check the country’s climate as well as the daily weather forecast. If the sun typically sets earlier in the country of play, then the game will be affected due to lack of time. In opposition to this, some countries may embrace sunlight right up until 9 pm, increasing the chances of playing a full game.
There’s no sport affected by the weather quite as much as cricket, so paying attention to all forecasts will help you to predict the outcome of the game.
Think About The Pitch Grounds
You should also pay attention to the condition of the pitch grounds since it is one of the variables that can affect the quality of play. Sometimes this is influenced by the weather; other times it is influenced by the surface given by groundsmen.
Grounds like the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka will have a fairly dry surface due to hot weather, meaning certain bowlers will be at more of an advantage. Typically, these dry grounds assist spin bowlers who wish to make more of an impact. It’s noticing little things like this that will have a huge influence on the success of your cricket bet.
As well as looking at the ground's surface, be sure to do a bit of research into previous games that have occurred on the same pitch. Do certain players perform particularly well there? Do teams tend to score unusually high when playing at this venue?
In-Play Variables
While some of the best sports betting tips rely on out-of-play factors, others will focus on in-play variables. This can be anything from who won the coin toss on the opening morning to a team's overall experience playing at a certain ground or against a certain team.
The Coin Toss
On the opening morning of the cricket game, a coin is tossed and the winning captain will get to decide whether their team bowls or bats first. While a whole range of factors may also influence gameplay, it has been found that 34.8% of teams that win the coin toss at a test match end up winning the whole game.
Overall Team Experience
Although it may seem like an obvious point to make, the experience of the team will have a huge influence on the outcome of the game. This doesn’t always relate to how long they’ve been playing cricket, though - it could be anything from the team they’re playing against to the grounds they’re playing on.
If a team isn’t used to their opposition's technique, they may be at a disadvantage. It’s the same with the pitch grounds - an away team might not have experience with the given conditions. Such small variables can cause big consequences.
Batsman Experience
Keep the experience of the batsmen in mind when placing a cricket bet; they are all going to be at different stages of their career. Less experienced batsmen may seem successful during short-form games like T20 Cricket, but they may not be as lucky during long-form test matches.
Bowlers Experience
The same applies to bowlers, too. An experienced bowler will know how to ‘scare’ the batsman with strong bowls - affecting gameplay as a result. Not-so experienced bowlers may not have nailed this skill yet, meaning in-play variables won’t be as exciting.
Confidence
When considering betting options, the confidence of teams and players is only sometimes a direct influencing factor we consider. Having said that, it can influence the final results of games.
For example, a team’s confidence could be lower going into a game based on their previous results, potentially affecting their performance in upcoming matches. The same can be said of players, with some thriving under pressure and others succumbing.
Confidence is a factor that can be considered ahead of a match or live as key events occur. Remember, longer forms of cricket matches can last up to five days, which is plenty of time for a player's confidence to be swayed.
Betting on cricket is loads of fun, and with so many opportunities to make a profit, you’ll never get bored. The tips mentioned in this guide will help you to bet both reliably and tactfully - we recommend keeping them all in mind in order to get the most out of your experience. To bet on cricket and get free cricket betting tips that you can trust, choose LeoVegas Sports!
Cricket Betting FAQ
How can I improve my cricket betting skills?
Remember, cricket betting is luck, like any other form of gambling. However, preparation and research can help bettors find more value in the market.
What are the common mistakes to avoid in cricket betting?
Never chase your losses and maintain sensible bankroll management.
How can I spot potential upsets in cricket matches?
Cricket is a game of momentum - if the underdog is looking like they’re turning the tide, it could prove a good bet!
Are there any betting strategies specific to certain cricket formats?
Yes - test cricket, ODI cricket, and Twenty20 cricket are totally different games, which means the strategies differ, too.
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