How to Bet on Cricket: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2026 Betting Success

Written By John Carlo Villaruel | Last Updated at March 13, 2026

Wickets, overs, and runs… you’ll certainly find lots of unique terms to remember when you’re looking at how to bet on cricket. If you’d like to read an accessible guide on what to look for, we’ve got it right here.

We’ll explain some common cricket terms and their meanings, and we’ll also list some of the main cricket bets you’ll see at online bookmakers. These include match winner, total runs, overs, and the most sixes scored in a match. We’ll also look at how to identify a suitable bookmaker to use for your cricket wagers.

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An introduction to how to bet on cricket

Before you begin looking at various cricket odds and options, it’s a good idea to make sure you understand a few key terms you’ll come across along the way. We’ve put together a table to help you with this. It’s always sensible to familiarise yourself with the correct terms if you learn how to bet on football, too, as they vary from one sport to the next.

Wicket	Comprising three stumps and two bails at each end of the pitch; a batter is out if the bowler knocks down the wicket
Innings	A single portion of the match - one team goes up to bat while the other bowls and fields (number of innings vary depending on the match)
Runs	A run is achieved when the two players (the batter and non-batter) run past each other and complete the 22-yard length from end to end (crease to crease)
Overs	An over is six consecutive legal bowls made by the same bowler from the same end of the pitch
Boundaries	If the ball reaches the edge of the field, it’s worth 4 runs; if a batter hits a ball over the boundary without bouncing, it’s worth 6 runs

Different Cricket formats

Cricket Format	Explanation
Test Cricket	The traditional format lasts up to five days, with matches highlighting strategy, endurance, and tactical play. Due to its length, draws are quite common, which is an important consideration when placing bets.
One Day Internationals (ODI)	Each team plays 50 overs, and the entire match is completed in one day. ODIs blend strategic gameplay with aggressive batting, often resulting in a clear winner.
Twenty20 (T20)	A rapid format where each team plays 20 overs. T20 matches emphasize aggressive batting and swift outcomes, which makes them especially popular for live betting.

Looking at different cricket bets

Now that we’ve gone through some of the most popular terms in cricket, we can look at some of the more common betting types you’ll see offered at UK betting sites and online bookmakers. We’ve chosen the ones you’re most likely to see, but bear in mind it’s not a complete list. You might see a different mix from one site to the next, too.

Match winner

This is the simplest bet to understand and crops up in most sports, including cricket. You get odds for each team to win the match, and choose which team you want to back.

Prop bets

You’ll find plenty of these available across a range of cricket matches. They will tend to vary from one bookmaker to another, though. Here are some examples of bets that you might see.

Top batsman - the batsman scoring the most runs
Top bowler - the bowler claiming the most wickets
Scoring a century - betting on whether a specific batsman will achieve this score

Prop is short for proposition, and some bettors like them because the outcome of the match is irrelevant. For instance, if a team has a famous batsman on it renowned for doing well, you might predict they’ll score more than a certain number of runs during the match… even if their team ends up losing.

Over/under bets

You’ll generally find over/under bets at most existing and new UK betting sites, given their popularity. It doesn’t matter which team wins in this case - what matters is whether a specific number is over or under the statistic chosen by the bookmaker. For example:

Betting on whether the total wickets in a match are above or below a certain number
Betting on whether the total runs in a match are above or below a given number

In each case, you’ll see a number with a half, i.e., 44.5 runs. So, if you bet under, you’re betting that a batsman will score 44 or fewer runs. If you bet over, you’re betting that they’ll get 45 or more runs.

Live in-play bets

You may see a range of betting options in this category. The key feature is that you can make in-play bets while the cricket match is taking place. Many bookmakers offer in-play betting even if they don’t provide live streaming of a match. The same applies if you’re learning how to bet on tennis or other sports as well.

Things to consider when comparing bookmakers offering bets on cricket

You’ll find plenty of bookmakers offering their services to UK sports fans, both online and in the high street. Before you sign up anywhere, focus on the following factors to help you compare these sites.

Range of bets

We’ve looked at lots of different cricket bets already. You’ll find plenty more too:

Who will score the most sixes in a match?
Who will win the coin toss?
Who will score the most boundaries?
Will a named player get more than a given number of boundaries in a match?

You can expect the standard bets to appear at most UK bookmakers, but it’s worth comparing a few to see how many unusual options they might cover as well.

Competitive odds

Most leading brands in the bookmaker industry provide excellent odds that are highly competitive. Signing up to a reputable sports betting site means you’ll almost certainly have promising odds to review for any cricket bets you are thinking of making.

Live betting availability

We’d only recommend considering placing bets on live cricket matches once you’ve settled in and you know your terminology and betting types. It’s easy to get caught in the excitement of a match and quickly make a bet that you may not have done ahead of the match starting.

That said, most leading bookmakers do provide in-play betting. If you think you might want to try this in future, it makes sense to sign up to a bookmaker that provides this service.

Signup offers

These usually involve free bets, although it can differ from one site to the next. When you look at a welcome offer, keep the following points in mind. They’ll help you identify the best offer you can pick up:

What is the minimum deposit required?
How many free bets will you receive?
Does your qualifying bet need to win or lose to give you the free bets?
How long will you get to use the free bets?
What are the wagering requirements?

Always read the small print to make sure you understand how each opening offer works. You should also make sure there aren’t any exclusions for your free bets (or indeed the qualifying bet). Make sure you can use them on cricket matches if you want to.

Availability of statistics

This is becoming more common across bookmaker websites as a whole. While you can access cricket stats on a variety of websites, it’s certainly convenient to be able to visit a bookmaker’s website and find everything you need in one place. Reviewing stats ahead of a cricket match may help you decide which bets to place.

Pros and cons of learning how to bet on cricket

The more knowledge you’ve got, the more you’ve got to draw from when you are ready to bet on a forthcoming match. That’s true whether it’s a Test match or a friendly. We’ve given you the main points to think about here.

Pros & Cons of Cricket Betting

Lots of betting options
Live in-play betting available
Follow online betting guides
Many either-or bets available

Can be confusing to start with

Learn how to bet on cricket and find your preferred bets

Many cricket fans like to predict the winner of a match before it starts. Yet as we have seen here, that is only the beginning. There are lots of other potential bets to think about as well, from over/under bets to prop bets of various kinds.

You can find out more about UK bookmakers and how to bet on various sports here. You can also visit many UK bookmakers by using the links and banners you’ll find on this and other pages of our website, like the Karamba Sportsbook review or the 10bet sportsbook review. Treat this guide as the beginning of your foray into cricket betting. You’ll learn more as you gain experience of how different cricket betting types work.

How to bet on cricket FAQs

🏏 Where can you find live cricket odds?

Every online bookmaker will provide you with the latest betting odds for various aspects of a cricket match. You’ll have pre-match options to consider, but you can also try in-play betting. In this case, live odds vary depending on how the match progresses.

📚 Is it easy to learn how to bet on a cricket match?

It’ll be easier if you’re already a cricket fan, since you’re more likely to understand the scoring and how it works. If not, you should start there and make sure you understand the terminology and progression of a match before placing any bets.

💻 How do you make cricket bets online?

Find a sportsbook that provides good coverage of cricket matches, including The Ashes, one-day internationals, and the Indian Premier League (IPL). Consider the range of different bets offered on each site, and look at how competitive the odds are when compared to similar sites. You can then add a bet to your betslip and pay for it from your balance once you’ve signed up and deposited funds in your account.