It is hard to explain just how massive cricket is in India. The country's most popular sport by a long distance, cricket is played everywhere in India and betting on games is big as well.
Not only is India home to one of the largest domestic cricket tournaments in the world - the Indian Premier League - India's men's and women's international sides are brilliant too.
It all adds up to betting on cricket in India being a very popular hobby, but lots of people enjoy watching all the action without having a wager.
Those who are keen to start online cricket betting could benefit from a detailed guide, though. This is where we come in to help. Read on for absolutely everything you need to know.
Introduction to Cricket
The vast majority of people in India already know a great deal about cricket, due to the fact they have probably been watching or playing the sport from a very young age.
But for anyone who has somehow managed to avoid cricket so far and wants a grounding in the sport, we will give you a background here.
Cricket is thought to have been invented in the mid-16th century when it was played in southern England and as with a lot of sports, it was spread through the expansion of the British Empire.
There are a lot of other bat-and-ball games out there but cricket stands out from the crowd. This is because there is a target involved for the team with the ball - the wicket - whereas most other sports do not have this in the game.
When cricket was first played, the ball was delivered underarm, but nowadays it is overarm. Both teams have 11 players on their side and each of them has the chance to bat.
The bowling side aims to get the batters out. There are several methods to do this.
A batsman can be out bowled - the ball hits their wicket. They can be out caught if they hit the ball in the air and it is caught by a fielder before it hits the ground. They can be run out if the opposition team breaks the wicket when they are out of their crease. A batsman hitting their own wickets is another, if rare, way of getting out.
The other interesting thing about cricket is there are several formats. The most traditional form of the game is Test cricket, which is played over two innings for each side over a period of five days and can still sometimes end up in a draw, especially if there is some bad weather.
One-day Internationals - known as ODIs for short - is the format used for the Cricket World Cup, with both teams getting 50 overs to score as many runs as they can.
Finally, the newest form of the game is Twenty20, which is phenomenally popular. Played with 20 overs a side - or sometimes even less if there is bad weather - T20 matches are explosive with a lot of big hitting on show. The Indian Premier League is a leading T20 tournament.
How to Bet on Cricket in India
Betting on cricket in India is a way of life for a lot of sports fans, but some people may have never placed a wager on the sport and are therefore unsure over what they need to do.
First, you need to make a prediction over a league, tournament or match. Decide who you think is going to win the game. Find this selection on your favourite cricket betting site in India. Then, you need to think about how much money you want to put on the bet - this is your stake.
Higher stakes mean more potential profit, though obviously if the bet does not win this is going to result in more money being lost. Long-shot bets should be placed with small stakes only.
One of the best things about betting on cricket in India is how many different markets there are. You can bet on the batsman who will score the most runs, as well as the bowler who takes the most wickets. You can even bet on how many runs will be scored in the next over if you choose to try live cricket betting - which we will come to later.
With cricket matches almost always taking place in some part of the world, there is always going to be something to bet on. This is whether it is a domestic tournament, a T20 league or an international competition such as the Cricket World Cup.
Here are some of the top cricket leagues and tournaments to bet on with your chosen bookie.
Cricket Leagues and Tournaments to Bet On
Though the number of countries in which cricket is a top sport is relatively small, they are located all over the world. This means matches are almost always being played, no matter the time of the year or whether it is day or night in India.
Naturally, the cricketing world has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis, but things are finally starting to get back to something like normal. There may therefore never be a better time to start betting on cricket in India.
T20 leagues around the world are some of the most popular cricket betting events. There is no doubt that the Indian Premier League is the biggest and best of the global T20 leagues. Most of the world's top T20 players take part in the IPL every single season.
There are other T20 leagues that attract top-quality players too. These include the Big Bash, which is in Australia, the Caribbean Premier League, South Africa's Ram Slam and The Blast, which is played in England's summer season.
International T20 tournaments are great to bet on too. There are T20 World Cups for both men and women players and these are some of the most popular events on the cricket calendar.
Moving on to ODI cricket, the Cricket World Cup is played every four years and sees the world's top teams face off in the hope of winning the trophy at the end of the action. The 2019 Cricket World Cup provided some unforgettable drama as the match between England and New Zealand had to be settled by a super over after the main event ended up in a tied game.
ODI international matches between countries are also played throughout the year, with series between India and Pakistan particularly popular considering the relationship between the two neighbouring nations.
Last but not least is Test cricket, which for a lot of sports fans is the pinnacle of the game. Test match series are part of the new Test World Championship, which sees points earned for wins. The Ashes - played between Australia and England - is perhaps the peak of Test cricket but contests between India and the other elite nations are always highly anticipated too.
Domestic competitions around the world offer even more options for cricket betting in India. These are some of the main domestic cricket competitions for Indians to bet on:
- Ranji Trophy
- Duleep Trophy
- Irani Trophy
- Deodhar Trophy
- Vijay Hazare Trophy
The higher the profile of a cricket competition, the more markets there are likely to be available to bet on. But which Indian betting sites offer cricket markets to sports fans in the country?
Which Indian Betting Sites Offer Cricket Markets?
As cricket is without a doubt the most popular sport in India, betting sites in the country make it a priority to offer plenty of options.
When there is a major tournament like the Indian Premier League being played, cricket betting will likely be a primary focus for the bookmakers during that time. This means more markets, more promotions and more choice for cricket betting customers.
Here are some of the top Indian sports betting sites that will have cricket markets:
- Dafabet
- Betway
- Bet365
- Unibet
- LeoVegas
Other betting sites in India are also likely to have cricket betting markets available. For those who want to get the best odds available for their chosen cricket bets, it is therefore worth shopping around to get the best value, which means the most potential profit. Another way of getting top value from cricket betting is to use cricket betting promotions or free bets sign up offers.
Online Cricket Betting Promotions in India
With cricket betting so popular in India, betting sites have to compete with each other for customers. The main way that they do this is through the use of cricket betting promotions.
Major events such as the Cricket World Cup and the Indian Premier League are when the most cricket betting bonuses, offers and deals are likely to be available at cricket betting sites.
Enhanced odds and price boosts are among the cricket betting promotions that are likely to be available. But be warned that these deals are not necessarily going to offer the best value.
A price boost on one of India's main cricket betting sites might only improve the odds to a similar price that is available on a rival bookmaker. For this reason, it is always worth taking some time to check a few different bookmakers to see which has the best prices.
Another way to use cricket betting promotions in India may well be to look into live cricket betting, so let's have a look at how that works next.
Live Cricket Betting in India
When betting on a big game in a cricket competition like the Indian Premier League, you do not necessarily have to place your bets before the game gets underway.
This is because live cricket betting is now offered on a lot of the main Indian betting sites. Live cricket betting offers many of the same markets that are available before the toss has even taken place, so sometimes it is worth waiting to see how a match starts.
Seeing how a pitch is playing can help when placing live cricket bets, while it may be tempting to bet on a player to make a century if they have started in good form with their bat in their hand.
Live cricket betting is becoming more and more popular in India, which means this is an option at an increasing number of sports betting sites in the country too.
It has to be good news for cricket fans in the country, who have more markets to pick from and more chances to make a profit out of the big game as a result.
You can even place live cricket bets while out and about these days. This is because most Indian sports betting sites have mobile sites that work very well, while some have apps.
Downloading apps from the best betting sites in India is a good way to make sure that live cricket betting is available to you even if you are out and about or on the move.
Cricket Betting Tips and Tricks
The last section of our ultimate guide to betting on India concerns tips and tricks.
Obviously, there is never any guaranteed way to predict what is going to happen in a game. The unpredictability of live sport is one of the reasons why we love it so much, after all.
So betting on cricket is something of an inexact science, but that does not mean following certain tips and tricks cannot be profitable.
Research is often the key when it comes to finding winning wagers on sport. This is the case for cricket too. Check out the head-to-head record of teams and see if a player has a particularly good record when they come up against a particular team.
The toss can have a massive impact on a team's chances of success, too. If is often, therefore, waiting to place cricket wagers until after the toss takes place and it has been decided which team is going to bat first. Check the weather forecast too as this is always going to have an impact on how a game pans out.
Finding the best value for cricket bets is a must too. While a small difference in the odds offered by Indian cricket betting sites may seem irrelevant, it mounts up a lot in the long run for people placing a lot of bets.
Chasing bets at high odds can be tempting for those trying to get rich quick, but this does not often work. It can be a much better idea to stick with bets that are much more likely to win, even if they are at low odds.
This guide to cricket betting in India should have given you all the knowledge, expertise and information you need to start finding winning wagers. Good luck with your cricket betting!
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