Nowhere in the world is cricket more popular than in India. Next week, the home of cricket’s biggest domestic competition: the IPL, will host the World Cup. The mammoth stadiums will be packed to the rafters with screaming fans, cheering the home side to victory.
The tournament is also a great opportunity for betting, thanks to cricket’s wide range of items to bet on. If you’re thinking of participating, then it’s important to be strategic, as always. The first thing to do is take advantage of some of the great deals being offered for the tournament, such as Betway. Once you’re ready to make your bets, here are some great tips for you below.
Format and Teams
The format is the same as the 2019 version. Starting October 5th, the ten teams play each other once each. At the end, the points are added up and the top four teams progress to the semi-finals, where first place plays fourth and second plays third. The winners meet in the final on November 20th.
The ten participants in this year’s competition are: India, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands and South Africa.
The Overall Winner
It’s tough to look past India here. They have a great team and home advantage. The last three world cups were all won by the hosts and India has an extra advantage this time, with the conditions there very different to those of the other favorites. They’ve dismantled Pakistan and Sri Lanka this month.
The odds though, won’t be great. So you might prefer someone a little less popular. The other teams that could go the distance are previous champions England, constant overperformers, New Zealand and eternal heavyweights, Australia. Pakistan is the best of the other teams with similar conditions to India, making the finals of the previous T20 World Cup. South Africa is many people’s favorite outsider this year; they have an excellent team and have just beaten Australia in their final series before the tournament.
What about the rest?
The remaining teams are very decent and will certainly win a few matches. To win the whole tournament is probably too big an ask though, given they have to finish in the top four after playing everyone else, just to progress to the semi-finals.
Top Run Scorer
The obvious choices are India’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Sharma has 3x the double hundreds of any other player and Kohli is the superstar, even if his form has been a bit patchy in recent years. Again, you won’t get great odds here. South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen and England’s Dawid Malan are both in incredible form, but might fly under the radar a bit more.
Top Wicket Taker
People often prefer to pick a spinner for this category, as they rarely get injured and generally play every match. Rashid Khan, from Afghanistan and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al-Hasan are highly dependable options in this sense. The form of Mohammed Siraj should not go unnoticed though. He might not be India’s most famous name, but he’s looked the world’s most dangerous bowler going into the tournament.
Individual matches
Here’s where betting on the underdog can pay off a bit more, especially at the start of the tournament. The smaller nations will be absolutely buzzing to be out there and desperate to show what they are capable of. The bigger teams, on the other hand, can sometimes take a while to get going and look to peak at the business end of the tournament. 2019 champions England lost three of their group games before clicking into top gear and powering to victory.
Don’t forget the dew
Dew can play a massive role in the subcontinent, especially in India. It normally appears towards the end of the match, meaning the team bowling second will have to do so with a wet ball, which is much harder to grip. As a result, you’ll see most teams choosing to bowl first if they win the toss. This is important to be aware of. If you fancy a punt on one of the underdogs, doing so when they are bowling first is highly recommended.
Maybe avoid the Netherlands though
Sorry Holland, but it is important to mention that there is a big difference between this side and the other three teams we’ve classed as underdogs. Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are all well established cricketing nations, with some great players, who are very familiar with Indian conditions. They should all win a few games in the group stage and cause an upset or two. The Dutch though, are one level below that and won’t be disappointed if they manage one win. So if you’re going to bet on them, make sure you get good odds.
The Smaller Bets
Cricket offers a whole myriad of different things to bet on. Betway offers Overs/Unders betting, which is the combined total of something during the match. This can be runs, wickets, sixes, or various others.
Conditions are key
Never forget the conditions when making bets like this. It’s perfectly normal for a team to smash 360 on a flat pitch in one match and then be bowled out for 180 on a cracked pitch where the ball is spinning round corners. Listening to the commentators before the start of the game can help you judge and pay attention to previous results on the same pitch.
Live bets
If you’re betting live, you can bet on what’s going to happen in the next over, or even the next ball. Keep an eye out for match ups here, some batters have a bowler they are particularly successful against and vice versa. Batters also often look to target the other team’s part-time bowlers. Sometimes a field will have one side shorter than another and if a batter is facing a bowler who spins it to the shorter side, it’s generally the cue to go berserk. This means more sixes, but can also mean more wickets.
Enjoy the Action
As with any betting, the key is to do it responsibly. Keep the bets manageable and don’t let those anxious waits spoil your enjoyment of what is set up to be one of the great sporting events of the year.
