Cricket

Cricket has a massive following in plenty of countries around the world, and over time, the exciting game has garnered increasing interest in the U.S. As interest in the sport grows, so does interest in betting on it, which is what we’ll delve into below.

Comparing online sportsbooks and their cricket betting markets

Although cricket may not have a massive following in the U.S. like in other countries, there are quite a few US sportsbooks making sure cricket bettors are recognized. These days, finding betting odds for cricket is very easy. Still, the quality of those odds will change based on the sportsbook, so we always recommend creating multiple betting accounts and price shopping the betting market you are looking to place a wager in.

Of all the sportsbooks in the U.S. that offer betting markets for cricket, Caesars, BetMGM, and Bet365 are the best places to start or continue your cricket betting journey. Each shop has a different strength when it comes to cricket wagers; for example, BetMGM is excellent for live betting on cricket, which is a significant aspect of profiting from the sport.

As far as variety goes, Caesars does an excellent job providing odds for matches all over the world and from varying competitions like The Ashes or Asia Cup. Within those matches, there are always plenty of things to bet on, which is where Bet365 comes in. They tend to offer a wide range of betting markets for the sport that may not be offered or available on the other premier betting apps.

Cricket and Daily Fantasy Sports

Cricket may not be the sport one thinks of when it comes to DFS contests, and frankly, most people may not even realize DFS contests are available for the sport. Well, while they are available, they may be hard to come by. For a well-known DFS provider, like Underdog Fantasy, to offer cricket contests, the match or event must be very noteworthy.

The good news is that while the premier DFS providers don’t offer much coverage of the sport, Gully Cricket has capitalized on that niche market. With a tagline of “USA’s Fantasy Cricket App,” this creative DFS product offers contests for over 25 cricket leagues, tournaments, Test matches, and more.

Gully Cricket also makes the process as simple as possible. Once customers create an account, they can select which league they want to enter contests in. Then, they can draft a team and start entering that team into different contests that offer a wide range of cash prizes. Each contest may vary depending on the number of players a customer is competing against, the entry fee, and the prize money the winner receives.

What kind of cricket bets can you place?

A lot of people who are new to betting are typically shocked to find out how much they can truly bet on for games, leagues, sports, and more. Well, cricket is no different, as there are plenty of betting opportunities before and during a match. Before we get into the wide range of markets, it is important to start with the most common market, which is the moneyline.

Cricket is like soccer in the sense that bettors can wager on the three-way or two-way moneyline. The three-way moneyline allows bettors to bet on a draw, while the two-way moneyline ends in a no-contest if the match does end in a draw. Another market that can be found in other sports is the spread, which can be bet on in cricket, depending on the match.

Of course, since cricket has different scoring than most other sports, a spread market may read something like “London Spirit +3.5 Wickets/+7.5 runs at (-110).” With those two markets covered, we can explore the almost countless additional markets available for cricket. Player props are a big aspect of betting on the sport, and a surplus of them is certainly available.

Depending on the match, bettors can place wagers on the top match batter, top match bowler, the player of the match, player to score the most 6s, player to score most match 4s, total match wickets, total match runs, batsman to score a fifty, and more. There are also team props available for most events, and these markets include team total match 4s, team total match 6s, team opening partnership total, and more.

Bettors also do not need to make every wager for the entire match; instead, they can just bet on certain parts of the match. This means they can bet on the first wicket method and on a number of markets for the first five balls, first over, or first innings. It is important to note that some of these markets may be available on only select sportsbooks, and some shops may have even more markets available.

The Cricket World Cup

Every four years, the best Cricket national teams meet in the Cricket World Cup, a tournament played in One-Day International format and hosted by the International Cricket Council. This 14-team tournament first took place in England in 1975, so in total, 13 have been played, with the most recent being in 2023, when Australia won its record sixth championship.

How teams get into this tournament every four years has changed a few times since 1975. Through 2015, teams qualified by having a full membership with the ICC. Then, in 2019, qualification was determined by ranking position in the ODI Championship. However, since 2019, only host countries have gotten automatic qualification into the tournament; all other teams compete in different leagues, and their success determines whether they qualify.

Since this is one of the most significant events in the sport, bettors can find odds on the next World Cup very early on. For example, the World Cup will not take place until 2027, but bettors can still find futures markets for the outright winner of the event. Of course, in preparation for the World Cup, bettors can start placing wagers on the qualifying leagues for the event.

ICC T20 World Cup

Since 2007, the International Cricket Council has put on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, a biennial tournament played between 20 teams. Due to multiple complications, there have been a few years when the tournament did not take place, so in total, there have been nine editions of the tournament. In those nine years, England, India, and the West Indies have all won two events, as they are the only teams to win the event more than once.

Full members of the ICC automatically qualify for this tournament, while all other teams need to compete in a qualification tournament. For the actual tournament, teams are ranked against each other in the group stages based on who has the highest number of points. If the teams happen to be equal, multiple criteria, like wins, determine the ranking.

Asia Cup

Asian nations have produced some of the best cricket clubs in the sport's history, and each year, ACC member nations compete in the Asia Cup. Starting in 2016, every time the tournament is played, the format changes back and forth from ODI to T20I. Most recently, in 2023, the event was played in ODI format, and India won it by ten wickets, which gave them their eighth championship since the tournament started in 1984.

Where the event is played typically changes each year, as the next event in 2025 will be held in India, while the 2027 tournament will be in Bangladesh. These countries are two of just four teams that have played in this event at least 15 times since it started.

The Ashes

Most international cricket events feature a wide range of teams, but not The Ashes. This Test cricket series is played biennially between just England and Australia. Across all sports, The Ashes may have some of the most profound history out of all competitions, as this five-match series has been played since 1882-83.

The name “The Ashes” stems from a newspaper article released by the British Times in 1882, stating English cricket died due to their loss to the Australians. The English team would use that article as motivation, leading their captain, Ivo Bligh, to publicly say they would reclaim the team's ashes the next time they played. England would go on to win the next series, which resulted in Bligh being gifted an urn. While that urn remains in a museum, a replica has been handed out as the trophy for this event since 1998-99.

As far as who has lifted that replica urn the most, Australia currently leads the series with the most wins with 34, while also retaining it six times due to a draw. England is not far behind, though, as they have won the event 32 times while retaining it once from a draw. Not only does Australia have the most wins in the event, but their very own Donald Bradman holds the event record for runs with 5,028, and Shane Warne holds the record for most wickets with 195.

Betting on the IPL

The Indian Premier League is one of the most notable cricket leagues in the world. Started in 2008, this Twenty20 league founded by the BCCI features ten franchises that vary from city to state-based. Seven of the ten teams have been in the league since it was launched, while the other three teams have replaced defunct teams. Most recently, in 2022, two teams, the Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Tigers, joined the league. Each team in the league features a roster of 25 players, with a maximum of eight players not from India.

Every IPL season kicks off during the summer, with the first match coming in March and the championship being played sometime in May. Most recently, in 2024, the Kolkata Knight Riders won the league, giving them their third title. In the league's history, the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are tied for the record for most titles with five apiece.

Due to the size and popularity of the IPL, bettors in the U.S. can wager on the matches on a wide range of licensed betting apps. Right now, as cricket fans wait for a new season, they can start placing futures on the outright winner of the league on multiple shops, including Bet365 and DraftKings.

Other notable cricket competitions & events

There are plenty of cricket events held yearly or every few years that typically draw a lot of attention from fans and bettors. One of the biggest yearly events is The Hundred, a 100-ball cricket tournament between teams from England and Wales. Sticking in England and Wales, there is also the T20 Blast, which is the top-level Twenty20 competition that started back in 2003.

Some events held every few years include the T20 Women's World Cup and T20 World Cup, which differ from the Cricket World Cup. The next T20 Women's World Cup is in 2024, while the next T20 World Cup will be held in 2026. There are also plenty of Test Series, like The Ashes, that are played between Test teams for different trophies; for example, since 1985-86, Australia and New Zealand have played in a Test series for the Trans-Tasman Trophy.