Cricket Spread Betting Explained

Cricket is one of the most popular sports for spread betting. A spread cricket bet is one where you place bets on a range rather than fixed odds. In simpler terms, cricket spread betting can be put across as a way of betting on a range or a spread while predicting a certain outcome of the game.

For instance, you bet on a team winning margin to be over a range instead of betting on which team will win. This basically means that you can win more (or even lose more) as your bets are spread out. There are quite a few spread betting markets available in cricket. You can have spread bet on a particular batsman’s runs, team’s total, winning and performing index, 50-ups, 100-ups and supremacy (winning margin of the team) among others.

Cricket Spread Betting: How it Works?

Cricket Spread Betting is quite different from normal betting with fixed odds. In cricket spread betting, you have a range going around in the market and you either sell or buy in the given spread range by the bookmarker. In the range, there are two prices (or rather sporting indexes). The lower end of the spectrum is the selling price, while the upper end is the buying price. If you are selling at a certain price, you are expecting the outcome to be under that mark. If you are buying at a given price, you are expecting the outcome to cross the mark.

For instance, say batter X is coming out to bat and the betting odds or the sporting index for him or her is to score about 60-65 runs. If you think the batsman will surpass that sporting index mark and score more than 65 runs, then you buy the spread bet. If you think the batter is not in the best of forms, it’s not his or her day and you think he or she will score less than 60, you sell.

Now, suppose, you sell on the sporting index of 60-65 for player X at Rs 1 per run and that player gets out for a duck in that game, then you earn a profit of Rs 60. However, say that player X scored 125, then you are down with a loss of Rs 60 (125-65). Thus, the benefit here is if you are right, you win big and earn big profits. But if you turn out to be wrong and the more wrong you are, you can lose big as well. It works both ways.

It works the same way with the team’s runs as well. You have a range at the start of the innings and you can either sell or buy at a certain price. In fact, there is in-play betting for spread betting as well and the spread betting range varies as the game progresses.

Spread betting in cricket is not limited to the number of runs a team or a batter score. There are multiple aspects of the game which are offered by spread betting. One can take a punt on the number of sixes, fours, wides, 100-up which means how much the batter will score after crossing the 100-run mark, fall of the next wicket, the number of runs scored in X number of overs, bowler’s performance based on the number of wickets picked and many more.

Spread betting in cricket offers all these markets in all three formats – Tests, ODIs and T20Is. However, the markets in Test cricket are a lot more and vast. With two innings for each team, the bookmarkers have a different market for each innings and each player. The spread betting range is reset after every innings. It may be the same in the shorter formats (ODIs and T20Is) but Test cricket offers a lot more variety with the first innings lead, runs scored in a single session, wickets taken in a single session, runs scored in a single day, wickets taken in a single day, 50-up, 100-up or even a 200-up at times and a 25 index which basically allots points for a win, a loss or a draw (tie in case of ODIs and T20Is).

How to Spread Bet on Cricket?

There are various options and markets in which you can spread your bets. First, you need to choose which spread i.e. batsman’s runs, team’s total, fours and sixes, etc you want to place your bet on. Look at the range or the sporting index for that particular spread and decide whether you want to buy or sell. If you feel the sporting index is a bit too small for that particular spread, then you can go ahead and buy at your desired price or stake (for example, Rs 100 per run or something on those lines) for that particular index. Else, if you think that the sporting index is a bit too high, then you can sell at your desired price or stake. Your profit or loss will be determined based on the difference between your buying or selling sporting index and the final outcome of your spread and that will be multiplied by the price or stake you put in for that particular spread. One thing to remember is that these sporting index ranges vary all the time and are updated as the game progresses. Hence, you need to keep a close eye on the proceedings before placing your bet.

In Conclusion

Spread betting finds one of the biggest markets in cricket. With the scores being bigger and a wide variety of players to choose from, spread betting in cricket becomes a lot more easier and widespread. It offers the users or the players a wide range and a variety of markets and a different method of being involved in cricket betting.