Cricket Betting Guide
Master cricket betting and learn the best cricket bet tips, how to bet and which versions of the sport are right for you with Leo Vegas!
Cricket betting doesn’t get much better than here at Leo Vegas, where our extensive sportsbook offers thousands of cricket odds throughout the year on the best and biggest tournaments.
Whether it’s ODI or T20 betting you’re into, want to follow the latest Test odds, or are looking ahead to the Cricket World Cup bet markets, we’re here for you.
Our sportsbook features live cricket odds on the biggest matches of the year, covering everything from the Ashes through to the IPL.
But it can be hard to know exactly what to bet on and how to bet on cricket, when so much of it is going on. So, we’ve created the below cricket betting guide to show new players how to get the most out of their betting experience.
Read on for advice on how to place a cricket bet, cricket betting tips, which bets are more popular than others, and why certain odds are better placed on short-form cricket, compared to Test matches.
You’ll learn all about the most common forms of bet cricket fans place, how to master live cricket betting, and top tips for each format. So read on and discover the intricacies of betting on this beautiful sport right here with Leo Vegas!
Cricket Betting
Betting on cricket has never been so fun. The explosion of live cricket stats and in-play updates on everything from bowler performance to how powerful a batter hits the ball means the number of cricket odds available to punters has skyrocketed in the last 10 years.
Here at Leo Vegas we offer our community literally thousands of cricket odds and bet types throughout the year, with additional stats, live scores and updates to ensure you’re on top of your game.
And the basic idea of betting on cricket is consistent regardless of which format you’re following. Place a bet on an outcome you think will happen, and if it does happen, you win your bet!
Now, mastering the art of placing winning bets is always the tricky part. But there are smart tips and extra resources available to punters, so you can make knowledgeable wagers. We’ll go into these in more detail, and provide advice on accessing these resources, in our guide.
How to bet on cricket
If you want to get into cricket betting the first thing to do is either log into your Leo Vegas profile or sign up for an account today. Once you’ve made a deposit and have funds in your account, head over to our cricket odds page in the Leo Vegas sportsbook, where you’ll find all the latest markets.
You can choose from the Events or Outrights tab. In Events, you’ll find all the latest games being played and upcoming fixtures. It’s here that you can place cricket bets on individual matches, both pre-game and live. The Outrights tab is where you’ll find long-term odds such as Cricket World Cup winner, and IPL champions.
Once you’ve selected a game or market, look through the odds types and click on the odds you want to back. A bet slip will pop up, where you can enter your stake. This is how much money you’re willing to bet on your selected outcome. For example, you enter £5 on England to beat Australia in the second Ashes Test.
Once you’ve done this, check your risk and potential reward, before hitting Place Bet to complete the process.
Betting on cricket is done in the same way as betting on any other sport. So, if you’ve had experience placing bets on the likes of football, tennis or horse racing before, then you should be familiar with this process.
Betting on Cricket formats
Knowing the formats of Cricket betting is absolutely essential to winning Cricket bets, for example, a match in the T20 World Cup is going to last significantly less time than a test match, which can last up to five days, meaning pre-match betting will take a long time to pay out. These are the three main cricket formats and what style of betting best suits each format.
T20 Betting: Best suited to outright pre-match bets, the game can shift too quickly for in-play markets and as the game moves at a faster pace, it is harder for online cricket betting.
ODI Betting: In many people's opinion, the perfect mix, one full day of action unfolds allowing for both in play markets and outright markets to flow equally as well.
Test Betting: Best suited for in-play markets, matches in competitions such as the World Test Championship take significantly longer to play out but you can often tell after the first day of action how a match is going to unfold, if you can get in early, you might just find enhanced odds for something that looks likely to happen.
Best cricket teams to bet on
Now you know how to bet on cricket, it’s time to consider what you want to bet on. Many punters stick with the favourites – be in in Test series or club competition – and make small but reliable profits this way. Other bettors like to back the underdogs and chase the bigger, but less frequent, payouts.
Here are some of the more successful teams to bet on over the past decade:
Australia in the Ashes – Australia won three of five Ashes series between 2013 and 2022, and can be relied upon to win their home series (the last time England won an Ashes tour was 2010). Punters can usually find value in the Baggy Green.
Mumbai in the IPL – Mumbai Indians won five IPL titles between 2013 and 2020, and can be relied upon to progress in this competition if they escape the group stage. Rarely are they not one of the favourites to win the IPL at the start of each season.
Oval Invincibles – The Hundred is still in its infancy but the Oval Invincibles are already living up to their name. The women's team won the first two Hundred tournaments to set themselves up as the go-to option for cricket betting fans.
Betting on cricket across the world
Here at Leo Vegas we don’t just offer English cricket odds. Our markets spread across the world, covering everything from the Caribbean Premier League to Sri Lanka ODI series. The beauty of cricket betting is that there’s almost always a game to follow. This is a global sport, with Test series, one-day games and T20 blitzes taking place all the time.
The general there are three forms of cricket:
Long form – Test matches last five days, while County Championship matches cover four days. Teams get two batting innings each.
Medium form – Matches that take a day to complete, such as One Day Internationals and the UK’s One Day Cup. Teams get just one batting innings each.
Short form – Arguably the most popular form of cricket and the one that is best for live cricket betting. Short form cricket has a restriction on the number of overs each team is permitted, and games last only a few hours. Twenty20 internationals, T20 leagues like the IPL and Big Blast, and England’s The Hundred are all examples of short-form cricket.
Within these three forms of the game are various tournaments, leagues and individual series that cricket betting fans can enjoy throughout the year. We’ve broken down the most popular types of cricket that punters are interested in, and offer a top tip for how to bet on Test cricket, ODIs, the Hundred and more…
Cricket World Cup betting
The Cricket World Cup is the biggest betting event in the sport, and takes place every four years. It is an ODI tournament, with India, England, Australia and New Zealand regularly competing for the title.
Betting on the Cricket World Cup is a frenzy. Forty-eight matches are played over a six-week period, and includes a group stage from which four teams progress to the semi-finals.
Leo Vegas offers extensive Cricket World Cup betting odds, live markets, up-to-the-second stats and visual graphics to improve your wagering options. Upcoming Cricket World Cups include the 2023 tournament in India, and the 2027 competition in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Top tip: Bet on the favourites in the group stage to beat smaller nations and lump them together into an accumulator bet to maximise your odds.
Test cricket betting
Test cricket is the oldest form of cricket and remains the beating heart of the sport. England, Australia, India, South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies all have stellar Test teams, while Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ireland and Afghanistan have Test status too.
Betting on Test cricket isn’t the sole reserve for purists, however. Five-day matches can be a profitable ground for long-term bets, such as the highest-scoring batter and the bowler who takes the most wickets. The ebbs and flows of this format can rapidly alter the match odds, and punters willing to remain attentive over five days can make big profits here.
Top tip: Don’t rush into pre-match bets but wait for the live betting to open and assess your options once play gets underway.
ODI betting
As we’ve mentioned, One Day International cricket reaches fever pitch during the World Cup. But outside of that tournament most countries agree to ODI series whenever one team is on tour. India in the home of ODI cricket, where the Indian team is notoriously hard to beat on their home wickets. In England and Australia, ODIs are often overshadowed by Test series.
Still, it’s a great format to bet on wherever you are, and the creation of the ODI team rankings means every match is competitive.
Top tip: Look at series bets for ODIs, and consider which team may win over the course of three, five or even seven games, rather than just one.
T20 international betting
T20 internationals are sometimes given less importance by those in the game, but are nevertheless thrilling spectacles if you’re at the stadium. Fans love T20i matches and that passion extends to bettors.
Being able to bet on Twenty20 international matches opens up a world of possibility to punters. Live betting on every delivery is common, and you’re much more likely to win wagers on a boundary being hit in the next ball.
Top tip: A big bet for cricket lovers is to back batters who start fast to secure half-century scores, but steer clear of the big odds for centuries.
IPL betting
Away from the international stage, the Indian Premier League is the biggest T20 club tournament in the world. Ten teams compete over 74 matches each year, with overseas players paids thousands of pounds to bolster each squad.
The IPL is cricket on steroids. It’s a mad spectacle, full of impactful wicket takers, slogging batters and dramatic finales. For punters, the beauty of IPL betting is there’s always another game just around the corner, and as the season goes on you swiftly realise who are the top stars and who have fallen away.
Top tip: Track the star bowlers over the opening few rounds and then check out the Most Wickets market for a potentially profitable bet.
Ashes betting
Betting on the Ashes is hugely popular when England and Australia clash every two years. But the betting interest certainly wanes if one team is dominating the other. Yet smart punters know when to exploit the odds – and on occasions when Australia are crushing England in a home series, for example, there’s plenty of opportunity to make profit.
The Ashes is a five-Test series between only England and Australia. Historically the home team has the advantage, and generally lead the series odds. But this soon flips once the action gets underway.
Top tip: Take Australia to win a home series before the first ball is bowled. Their odds almost always plummet after winning the first Test at home.
Women’s Ashes betting
The Women’s Ashes is more interesting for cricket betting fans than the men’s. Why? Because it takes the form of a multi-format series. There’s one Test match, a three-match ODI series and a three-match T20i series. The result is Australia and England compete for points, and whoever has the most wins the overall Ashes.
It’s a smart system, and bettors love it. That’s because you can back one team to win the Test, for example, but the other to dominate the short-form series. It provides something for everyone, while keeping fans engaged.
Top tip: A 12-4 score is the most common in the Women’s Ashes, and isn’t a bad starting point when seeking to place a pre-series bet.
County Championship betting
England’s County Championship really is on its knees. Pushed about by bigger demands from international and domestic cricket, no-one really pays too much attention to it anymore. But the County Championship is the breeding ground for England’s Test team, and it’s a big draw for punters.
Why? Because like Test cricket the ebbs and flows of the game affect the odds. And it means early against-the-odds bets can flip to odds-on within half a day. Strategic bettors love long-form cricket, and over four days County Championship games can prove profitably.
Top tip: Like in Tests, don’t rush into pre-match bets. Take your time and check out the live odds once the action begins to influence the market.
One Day Championship betting
The One Day Championship is a fairly explosive tournament that draws big crowds at the height of the summer. But, like the County Championship, it perhaps doesn’t get the full recognition it needs within the cricketing calendar.
Still, a one-day match is a good stage for bettors to settle down for the day and play the live odds, exploiting changes to the market and laying their bets. A good punter should finish the day with profit regardless of the result.
Top tip: Play the live One Day Championship odds and be willing to bet against your original wagers as the fluctuating match unfolds.
T20 betting
Twenty20 cricket revolutionised the sport two decades ago and now it’s arguably the best format cricket has to offer. Whether it’s the IPL, the T20 Blast or the Big Bash, fans generally love watching and betting on T20 action.
What’s great about the format is that it’s fast but still boasts the traditional rules of cricket. Six-ball overs, 120 deliveries in total, 10 wickets apiece and plenty of boundaries.
Top tip: Don’t rush into T20 betting. It’s hard to know how games will pan out, but statistically the team batting second has the narrow advantage.
The Hundred betting
England introduced The Hundred in 2021 and it’s already become a big hit. Fireworks, flames, music and dancing – there is also some cricket in there too. Each team 100 balls to smash around the ground and rack up their scores.
The whole point of The Hundred is that it’s fast. This means more bowling, batting and fielding mistakes. More action. More drama. For bettors, it also means more opportunities for shock winning bets, such as a wicket in the next delivery, for a six.
Top tip: Thrive on the live betting options available in The Hundred. Small wagers can reap big profits if you guess right.
Big Bash betting
Australia’s Big Bash is its domestic T20 league and is perfect for sports betting fans in the UK who like to stay up late. Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder are the two most successful teams in the tournament, but there’s no guarantee anyone will win from year to year.
In fact, the Big Bash is great for backing the underdogs. No team has ultra-low odds to win at the start of the tournament, and this equality means surprise winners can emerge from nowhere.
Top tip: Do your research with the Big Bash and follow a single team. Once you get to know the team more, you’ll be more confident betting either on them, or against them.
Best cricket odds to consider
There are scores of cricket odds available to wager on in the Leo Vegas sportsbook. But outside of the match result odds, you might not be overly familiar with what else is on offer.
So, here are a few of the most popular cricket bets punters make across all formats of the sport:
Top Bowler – You can bet on the top bowler in any cricket game. This is usually the top wicket taker, and is either focused on an individual team or the game as a whole. Fast bowlers in Australia and the UK usually grab most wickets, while in India the spinners are likely to be in contention here.
Top Batter – Like top bowler, the top batter odds are focused on the batters either on a single team or across the match. The aim is to bet on which player will score the most runs. In short-form cricket this is usually one of the opening batters. In Test cricket the top batter may be third or fourth in the order, or even fifth.
First Wicket – It’s always nice to get an early win on the board when betting on cricket, and wagering on the first wicket is a fun way to get started. You can bet on which batter will be out first, which bowler will get the wicket, and how far into the game the first wicket will fall.
Over/Unders – This is a very popular bet and is also common in other high-scoring sports like basketball and NFL. With over/unders, you’re betting on whether a total points score will finish over or under a specific line. For example, you might bet on England to score over 300 runs in their first innings against Australia. If England only score 287, you lose your bet. Over/unders can be wagered on everything from individual players to entire Test series.
FAQs
How can I bet on cricket?
You can bet on cricket online with Leo Vegas by signing up for an account today. We feature thousands of cricket betting odds throughout the year, and placing a bet is as simple as clicking on your chosen odds, entering your stake in the bet slip, and hitting Place Bet.
What is the best bet in cricket?
There is no guaranteed winning bet in cricket. However, for many the best bet in cricket is to wager on the points total of either an innings or an entire match, using stats to figure out the most likely outcome.
Can I bet on the Cricket World Cup?
Yes! You can bet on Cricket World Cup odds before and throughout the tournament with Leo Vegas. We offer pre-match and live Cricket World Cup betting options 24/7.
Are England favourites to win the Ashes?
England are usually favourites to win their home Ashes, but Australia are always favourites to win their home Ashes series. Saying that, Australia are the favourites to win the 2023 Ashes in England.
When is the IPL?
The IPL takes place in India between March and May every year (apart from 2020, when the tournament was delayed due to Covid).
What Does “1st Over” Mean in Cricket Betting?
Each block of six deliveries in cricket is referred to as an ‘over’. The 1st over is therefore the first block of six deliveries that the batting team faces. You can usually bet on the total runs to be scored in the 1st over, and whether or not there will be a wicket taken.
What Counts as a “Wicket” in Cricket Betting?
If you bet on there being a wicket at a certain point in proceedings, you’re placing a wager on a batsman being dismissed at that point. The dismissal can be through a variety of means - they can be caught, bowled, given LBW, run out, or stumped - and each will count towards your bet.
What Does a ‘Dead Heat’ Mean for My Cricket Bet?
A ‘dead heat’ is different from a tie in cricket betting, as it doesn’t refer to the outcome of a match. Instead, it refers to a prop bet that results in more than one winner (i.e. two batsmen score the joint-highest number of runs). In this case, the odds are divided by the winners, and multiplied by the stake to determine the final payout.
Where can I find the best cricket odds?
Cricket betting is difficult due to the longevity of a match. The best Cricket odds you'll find are at LeoVegas before a match has started, our pre-match cricket odds include a wider range of markets than you'll find during the game. Alternatively, check out our outright markets on competitions such as the Indian Premier League for the best Cricket odds.
Can anybody win in Cricket betting?
Absolutely. There are no limitations on who can win with any type of sports betting. In regards to selecting the right players or teams to pick, that will come down to research or a bit of luck but ultimately, as long as you know the difference between your bowler and your wicket taker, you'll have a chance of winning with Cricket betting.
