In India alone, a big chunk of its 1.4 billion population monitors the national side closely on TV every time they are in action, while there is no shortage of fans of the sport, as well as cricket bettors, in the likes of the UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
We'll talk you through what the top cricket betting sites have that others don't, as well as give you an insight into the most popular cricket betting markets, cricket bonuses you can claim and the most popular tournaments to bet on.
How We Rate Cricket Betting Sites
There is no one definitive way of establishing just how good an online betting site for cricket is. Rather, there are many ways and, naturally, some cricket betting fans will consider some factors extremely important and others not so much. But these are the factors that we at AskGamblers consider matter the most when deciding which are the best for betting on cricket.
- Licence: The bare minimum is that the betting site holds a valid betting licence, with preference given to betting sites cricket that hold the UK Gambling Commission licence, while the licenses from Malta and Gibraltar are also respected.
- Number of betting markets and tournaments: Most cricket punters will want to bet on the biggest events, such as the IPL and the Ashes and the most popular markets, such as the match winner and the innings runs market. But not all. So, it is important that the best betting sites for cricket also offer betting on less high-profile matches and other niche markets that some customers may enjoy, such as the number of sixes, the man-of-the-match and top match batsman.
- Odds: In terms of winning on cricket in the long run, this is the single most important factor of all. Generous odds will give you a good chance of being up when it comes to betting on cricket; poor odds are likely to mean that you are down, however good you are at it. Online cricket betting sites consistently laying decent odds are to be respected.
- Bonuses and promotions: In one sense, they're a good way for your money to go further because free bets, odds boosts, and other bonuses are valuable freebies. In another sense, they're just a way of feeling like you're a valued customer. And that's important, too.
- Security: A less sexy part of all of this but one of the most important factors. It's imperative that your money and data are secure at all times and that the cricket betting site does what it promises to, such as paying out on winning bets and processing withdrawals when you want to get your money out.
- Payment options: The more, the better, as it gives you greater freedom of choice. It's also important that they are trusted and secure payment options and that withdrawals are processed quickly rather than taking an eternity.
How to Bet on Cricket
So, you love cricket and want to bet on it. Here are the steps you should follow to get your first cricket bets on.
- Read our sportsbook reviews: We have put together a cricket betting sites list that are recommended to you as being safe, of high quality, and that offer you a great customer experience. Pick two or three that particularly appeal to you.
- Open an account: Open an account at the 2-3 sites of your choice that tick the most boxes for you personally, make a deposit and look out for any welcome bonuses up for grabs. Read the terms and conditions carefully so you know how to make the best use of these bonuses. Be aware that some bonuses, particularly deposit bonuses, may result in your own money being compromised in terms of wagering requirements. Think about whether it is worth your while to claim them anyway or not.
- Pick the cricket match you want to bet on: Navigate to “Cricket” under Sports or A-Z of Sports. Cricket matches are generally divided by format- Test, ODI, T20 – or by tournament e.g. IPL, BBL, The Hundred, ODI World Cup. If you wish to bet on such markets as who will win the IPL or who will be top tournament batsman for the Big Bash, you need to click on “Outrights”. If you wish to bet on a specific match, find the match in question and click on it.
- Choose your betting market: These days, the best sportsbooks for cricket offer hundreds of different markets for any given match. Remember that whatever market you want to bet on will be either a pre-match market (open up to the time the toss takes place) or a live betting/in-play market that will be opened after the toss. Choose the market you wish to bet on. For example: Winner market, Team A Top Batsman, Team B Top Batsman or First Innings runs.
- Place your bet: Once you are happy with the selection and the odds at which it is available, select your stake and press the relevant button to confirm your bet.

Cricket Betting Odds
Odds on cricket matches are no different to odds on any other sport.
Odds of 2.0 (also known as even money) mean that you are betting a particular stake to win exactly that stake. If you bet on India to beat England at 2.0 for £10, you will get your £10 stake back if India wins, plus a £10 profit.
Any cricket odds below 2.0, also known as odds-on, mean that whatever you are betting on, will result in you winning less than what you are actually staking. For example, if you bet £10 on England to beat Bangladesh at odds of 1.5, you will recover your £10 stake and win £5 profit, so a total of £15.
Odds above 2.0 are known as odds-against and will result in you winning more than the value of your stake if the bet goes on to win. So, if you bet £10 that Bangladesh will beat England at odds of 3.0, you will recover your £10 stake and win £20 in profit.
For those of you who are used to using fractional rather than decimal odds, remember that 6/4 is 2.5, 2/1 is 3.0, 4/1 is 5.0 and so on.
That said, all top cricket betting sites will allow you to choose to view all cricket betting odds either in fractional or decimal odds.
Different Types of Cricket Bets
There are far too many cricket betting markets to mention all of them here, but these are some of the more popular ones at cricket betting sites.
Match winner
Who will win the game? Remember that in Test matches and First-Class matches, there are three outcomes: Team A, Team B and a draw. In limited overs matches (ODIs, 50-over domestic games and T20s), there are only two outcomes: Team A or Team B, because there will always be an eventual winner if the game is tied, where a Super Over will determine the winner.
Who will win the toss
There is not much skill involved in this one, but it is popular, nonetheless. You are just betting on which side will…win the toss.
Top batsman
Which player will score the most runs for their side in a particular innings *?
*In limited-overs matches, there is only one innings per team, so you are betting on which batsman/bowler will score the most runs/take the most wickets in the game. However, in Test/First-Class matches, there are two innings per team, so the bookie will specify which innings these markets relate to.
Match top batsman
Who will score the most runs across both teams, rather than just the team the batsman plays for?
Top bowler
Which player will take the most wickets for their side in a particular innings?
Man-of-the-match
At the end of any game, a player is elected the Man-of-the-match, sometimes also known as the Player of the Match. It is no easy task to predict who will get the award out of 22 players, but the odds on offer are high on all players for precisely that reason.
Innings runs
Here, you are predicting how many runs the side batting first will score.
Most sixes/fours
Which side will score the most fours/sixes in the match?
To score a 50/100
Will the named batsman score 50/100 runs in the upcoming innings?
Outright winner
This relates to a tournament, series, competition or championship. You are betting on which team will go on to win it.
Top outright batsman/bowler
Here, you are betting on who will score the most runs/take the most wickets across a whole competition/series rather than an individual match.
Cricket Betting Site Offers
The best cricket betting sites reward customers with cricket-specific offers from time to time. Here are some of the most common ones.
Free bets
The sportsbook will tell you that you have a bet (for example) a 2/5 GBP to place on any cricket betting market of your choice. You are using the sportsbook's own money to place the bet, hence it being a free bet. Normally, you do not get to keep the value of the stake, only the actual value of the winnings.
Risk-free bet
A key difference here is that you are using your own money with which to place the initial bet. If the bet loses, the betting site for cricket will then refund you the value of your stake. If the bet goes on to win, you will be paid out your winnings as per usual.
Odds boost
The sportsbook will offer enhanced odds on a particular selection in a bid to attract more business, particularly from value-seeking punters. So, for example, whereas Jos Buttler might normally be available at odds of 3.5 to top-score for England in a T20I match against Australia, the bookie might boost those odds on Buttler to 4.0.

Biggest Cricket Tournaments to Bet On
If you are a cricket betting fan, we have some good news for you. Cricket is played pretty much 52 weeks a year, meaning a day doesn't go by when you don't have the chance to watch and bet on an important match at the best cricket betting sites.
Here's a lowdown of the most important cricket events.
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup
It's a 50-over-per-side event and was first staged back in 1975 in England, when it was won by the West Indies, who went on to defend their title four years later (1979) and also made the final (again in England) in 1983, only to lose as hot favourites to India this time.
And that was as good as it got for the West Indies, who never won it again after those two initial triumphs.
The dominant force at this tournament is undoubtedly Australia, who have won it six times, when no one else has won it more than twice. That included triumphing in India in 2023, meaning they are the current defending champions.
It is held every four years, and the last edition was contested by 10 teams. But in 2027, held in South Africa/Zimbabwe/Namibia, there will be 14 teams for the first time ever.
The Ashes
Every two years, England and Australia go to battle for five Test matches in a Series that lasts just under two months. There may be other big prizes up for grabs in international cricket, but if you are in England or Australia, this is the one that matters more than any other.
England and Australia take turns hosting the Ashes, and the matches are generally played at the same venues.
Things are pretty tight between the two. Over 73 Series were played between 1882 and 2023, Australia won 34, England 32, and there were seven drawn Series. Australia have won 152 Tests, England 111, and there have been 98 drawn Test matches.
No one has scored more runs in the Ashes than the barely-human Don Bradman (5028) of Australia, while the great Shane Warne, also Australian, took 195 wickets in the Ashes, more than anyone else.
Women’s Cricket World Cup
Interestingly, the first Women's 50-over (ODI) World Cup was staged two years (in 1973) before its first men's edition. It has been contested 12 times.
Like the men's version, it is meant to be staged every four years, although recently, the Covid years determined that couldn't be the case. So, the last two editions were in 2017 and 2022, with the next one being in 2025 in India, with eight teams participating, after which the number of sides will increase to 10.
Only three sides have ever won it. New Zealand won it once (2000) and England on four occasions (1973, 1993, 2009 and 2017), but just like with the men's event, Australia has dominated this competition, winning it on seven occasions.
T20 World Cup
The mid-noughties saw the invention of T20 cricket in England (20 overs per side, matches lasting between three and a half and four hours), and the first-ever T20 Cricket World Cup, won by India, soon followed in 2007.
There have been eight editions in all, and interestingly, no country has ever hosted it more than once.
The number of teams participating in it has varied over the years, and in 2024, held in the USA and West Indies, it will be 20 teams taking part for the first time ever.
All of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Australia and India have won it once, while the West Indies and England are the only sides to have won it twice.
The run machine that is India's Virat Kohli is the tournament's top runscorer with 1141 runs, while veteran Bangladesh spinner Shakib Al Hasan has taken more wickets than anyone else in it: 47.
Major Cricket Leagues to Bet On
T20 cricket has become the most valuable, popular and most-watched format of the game over the past decade and a half, and that has resulted in the most business for betting sites for cricket, with millions of cricket punters all over the world wanting to put their money where their mouths are.
Here are the most popular ones:
Indian Premier League (IPL)
First held in 2008, it has taken place every year since then in India, between early April and late May.
There have been 16 editions of it, and the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are the most successful joint sides in it, with five wins each.
Before 2022, eight teams were contesting it, but that was increased to 10 in 2023, with the Lucknow Giants and Gujarat Titans joining the party as new franchises. Curiously, Gujarat won the title in the first season in which they took part in it.
The IPL is the richest of all T20 domestic leagues and uses an auction system in which the franchises bid for the best available players.
That man Virat Kohli is also the highest runscorer in this competition (7263 runs), while Yuzvendra Chal has the honour of being the highest wicket-taker with 187.
Big Bash League (BBL)
Over in Australia, the Big Bash League began in 2011 and has always had the same eight teams take part in it.
It takes place between December and late January/early February, with one of the criticisms of it being that it coincides with the Australian national side playing Test matches and ODIs, meaning that many of the best Australian players often aren't available to play in it, except in the latter stages.
The Perth Scorchers have won it five times, while the Sydney Sixers have been victorious on three occasions.
Chris Lynn hasn't had much luck in the international arena for Australia but is the top scorer in the Big Bash with 3725 runs, while no one has taken more wickets than Sean Abbott, with 165.