Cricket betting guide: formats, markets and tips
Cricket has several formats and many markets, so it helps to know what you are betting on. This guide covers the basics for new cricket bettors.
The formats
The format changes how a match can finish, so check which markets and result rules apply before you bet.
- Test matches: up to five days, with a draw as a possible result.
- One-day internationals (ODI): 50 overs per side.
- Twenty20 (T20): 20 overs per side, about three hours, and the format of leagues such as the IPL and the BPL.
Common markets
- Match winner: which team wins the match.
- Total runs: over or under a number of runs.
- Top batter and top bowler: who scores or takes the most.
- In-play markets: bet while the match is being played, with prices that move after every over.
Back and lay on the exchange
On the 9Wicket sports exchange you can back an outcome (bet that it happens) or lay it (bet that it does not). Backing works like a normal bet. When you lay, you take the other side of someone else's bet and your risk is larger than your stake, so learn how it works before laying.
Rain, ties and abandoned matches
Weather can shorten or stop a match. The rules for ties, rain-affected and abandoned matches differ between markets, so read the market rules before you bet.
Bet carefully
Prices can change quickly in-play, and a match can turn in one over. Set a limit for each match and keep to it.