# Cricket Bet Types Explained: 12 Common Markets Source: https://cricketin.org/guides/cricket-bet-types-explained [By Nikhil Varma](/authors/betting-analyst), Betting and Odds Analyst. [Reviewed by Rajeev Sathe](/authors/editor-in-chief), Editor-in-Chief. Updated 27 Aug 2026. Editorial policy: https://cricketin.org/editorial-policy 18+ Betting money on cricket carries a direct risk of financial loss, and it can become an addiction. Real-money online gaming is banned across India under the PROG Act 2025, which came into force on 1 May 2026. If betting is already costing you money you need, or sleep, or people close to you, the free Tele-MANAS helpline is **14416**, and it runs in 20 languages. Our [page on help for gambling harm](/guides/help-for-gambling-harm-india) lists what else exists. --- Twelve cricket betting markets in plain words: what each question is, how it settles, and where the fee and the risk are bigger than they look. A cricket market is one question with a fixed set of answers, each carrying a price. This page covers twelve of them, from match winner and toss winner to runs in a named over, highest run scorer, method of dismissal, session runs and fancy markets. For each one you get the settlement basis and the risk that stands out. Markets with more possible answers carry a bigger hidden fee. Our worked example on an eight-player market shows a fee of 13.93%, against 4.81% on a three-way result. ## How to read this list of markets A market is one question with a fixed set of answers. Each answer carries a price. The list below covers twelve markets you will meet on cricket screens. For each one we give three things. What the question is. How it settles. Where the risk is bigger than it looks. Two housekeeping notes. Prices in this guide are worked examples, not quotes from anyone. And real-money online gaming is banned across India by the PROG Act 2025, in force since 1 May 2026, offshore apps included ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). Settlement rules differ from one operator to another. We describe the common pattern only. Exact rules for voids, dead heats and rain-hit games must be read in the rules of whatever platform quotes them : we have not tested any operator's rulebook. ## Markets one to three: the result itself ### 1. Match winner, two-way The question: which side wins? In T20 and ODI cricket a result is usually reached, so there are two answers. Settlement follows the official result. Risk note: the fee is smallest here, but so is the excitement. That combination is why people move to smaller markets, where the fee is bigger. Our [overround page](/guides/what-is-overround) puts numbers on the gap. ### 2. Three-way result with the draw The question: home win, away win, or draw? Test cricket needs this third answer. A tie is a different result again, and platforms treat it their own way. Risk note: three outcomes give three places to hide the fee. Add all three implied chances, not two. **Inputs.** Three-way market at 2.10, 3.40 and 3.60. Turnover ₹10,000. **Formula.** Chance = 1 ÷ price. Book = sum of chances. Fee = book − 100%. **Result.** 47.62% + 29.41% + 27.78% = 104.81%. Fee = 4.81%, which is about ₹481 on ₹10,000 staked. **Assumptions.** Our prices, not a quote. A weather-shortened Test changes the real chance of a draw sharply, and the price would move with it. ### 3. Toss winner The question: which captain calls right? It settles on the toss, minutes before play. Risk note: this is a coin flip with a fee on it. There is no skill to apply. A fair coin priced at 1.90 each way still adds to 105.26%, so the fee is the whole story. ## Markets four to six: runs ### 4. Team total runs, over or under a line The question: will a side pass a posted number of runs? The platform posts a line, and you take over or under. It settles on the official score. Risk note: the line is not a forecast. It is placed where money splits evenly. Rain rules matter here, because a shortened innings changes everything. Our [DLS explainer](/guides/dls-method-explained) covers how targets get revised. **Inputs.** Over priced 1.87, under priced 1.95. **Formula.** Chance = 1 ÷ price. Book = sum. Fee = book − 100%. **Result.** 53.48% + 51.28% = 104.76%. Fee = 4.76%. **Assumptions.** Prices are ours. The two sides are not priced alike, which is normal: the fee is often loaded onto the side the seller expects to be popular. ### 5. Runs in a named over The question: how many runs come in one stated over? An over is six legal balls, and wides and no-balls do not count towards the six ([Wikipedia on the over](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_(cricket))). Extras still add runs, which is why settlement can surprise people. Risk note: one over is a tiny sample. The result is close to random, the fee is wide, and there is nothing to study. This is also the kind of tiny event targeted in spot-fixing, which is fixing a specific in-match event that a betting market exists on ([Wikipedia on spot-fixing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot-fixing)). ### 6. Powerplay or first-six-overs runs The question: how many runs in the opening block of overs? In a full T20 innings of 20 overs, or 120 legal balls, the powerplay is a small slice of it ([Wikipedia on Twenty20](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty20)). Big Bash rules even let batters move part of the powerplay later in the innings ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty20)). Risk note: block markets are priced in-play and move on every ball. Read our [T20 rules explainer](/guides/t20-rules-explained) before you trust any line about fielding restrictions. ## Markets seven to nine: players ### 7. Highest run scorer for a side The question: which batter makes most runs for their team? It settles on the scorecard, and it usually needs the player to bat. Risk note: eight or more answers means a much bigger fee. Watch what happens to the book. **Inputs.** Eight players priced 4.00, 5.00, 6.00, 7.00, 8.00, 10.00, 12.00 and 14.00. **Formula.** Chance = 1 ÷ price for each. Book = sum of all eight. Fee = book − 100%. **Result.** 25.00% + 20.00% + 16.67% + 14.29% + 12.50% + 10.00% + 8.33% + 7.14% = 113.93%. Fee = 13.93%, about ₹1,393 on ₹10,000 staked. **Assumptions.** Our prices. Rules on batters who do not bat, and on two players tying, vary by platform and we have not checked any . A tie rule that splits your stake cuts the return further. ### 8. Most wickets for a side The question: which bowler takes most wickets? A bowler's workload is capped, which limits the field. In an ODI a bowler may bowl at most 10 overs, and no bowler goes past a fifth of the innings ([Wikipedia on ODIs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Day_International)). In a full T20 innings the cap is four overs ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty20)). Risk note: ties are common in this market, because two bowlers often take the same number. The tie rule decides your payout, so read it first. ### 9. Player of the match The question: who gets the official award? It settles on a human decision, not on a number. Risk note: a market settled by a panel cannot be modelled. You are pricing someone else's opinion. ## Markets ten to twelve: events inside the match ### 10. Method of the first dismissal The question: how does the first wicket fall? Five methods cover almost all cricket. Bowled, caught, leg before wicket, run out and stumped made up 98.2% of 63,584 Test dismissals between 1877 and 2012 ([Wikipedia on dismissals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismissal_(cricket))). Caught alone was 56.9% and bowled 21.4% ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismissal_(cricket))). Risk note: rare methods look tempting at long prices. Rare means rare. Hit wicket, obstructing the field and timed out sit in that group ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismissal_(cricket))), and long prices on them still carry the fee. ### 11. Session or bracket runs The question: how many runs in a stated block of overs, quoted as a moving rate? This is the market Indian punters call a session, and it is usually taken through an agent rather than a website. Risk note: the quote changes ball by ball and leaves no record you can check later. We cover it in full on our [session bet page](/guides/what-is-a-session-bet). ### 12. Fancy markets The question: almost anything inside the match. Runs off the next ball, a batter's total, a wicket in the next over. Risk note: this is the widest-fee corner of cricket betting, and the hardest to verify. Our [page on fancy bets](/guides/fancy-bets-explained) explains why. Reporting on India's illegal networks says most bets are placed ball by ball, with odds moving on every delivery ([NDTV](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/inside-the-shadow-economy-riding-ipl-online-betting-networks-11560908)). ## All twelve markets in one table **Table 1. Twelve cricket markets, how each settles, and the risk that stands out** | # | Market | How it settles | Risk that stands out | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Match winner, two-way | Official result of the match | Lowest fee, so people drift to worse markets | | 2 | Three-way result with draw | Official result, draw included | Three prices to add before you see the fee | | 3 | Toss winner | The toss | Pure chance with a fee attached | | 4 | Team total runs, over or under | Official score against the posted line | Rain and revised targets ([see our DLS page](/guides/dls-method-explained)) | | 5 | Runs in a named over | Runs credited in that over, extras included | Six balls is a tiny sample ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_(cricket))) | | 6 | Powerplay or first-six-overs runs | Score at the end of the block | Priced in-play, moves every ball | | 7 | Highest run scorer for a side | Scorecard runs for that team | Many outcomes, so a much wider fee | | 8 | Most wickets for a side | Scorecard wickets, subject to over caps ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Day_International)) | Ties are frequent, and tie rules vary | | 9 | Player of the match | The official award | Decided by opinion, not by a number | | 10 | Method of the first dismissal | How the first wicket falls | Rare methods stay rare ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismissal_(cricket))) | | 11 | Session or bracket runs | Runs in the stated block, at the quoted rate | No record to check ([see our session page](/guides/what-is-a-session-bet)) | | 12 | Fancy markets | Whatever micro event was quoted | Widest fee in cricket ([see our fancy page](/guides/fancy-bets-explained)) | ## Combining markets multiplies the fee Stacking picks into one bet is not a thirteenth market. It is a way of multiplying what you already pay. A parlay, also called an accumulator, links two or more bets into one. Every leg must win. If one leg loses, the whole bet loses ([Wikipedia on parlays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlay_(gambling))). The payout is raised, but usually by less than true odds require, which increases the house edge ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlay_(gambling))). **Inputs.** Two legs, each priced 1.90, each carrying a 5.26% fee. Stake ₹1,000. **Formula.** Combined price = 1.90 × 1.90. Combined fee = (1.0526 × 1.0526) − 1. **Result.** Combined price = 3.61. Combined fee = 10.80%. A fee-free pair of coin flips would pay 4.00, not 3.61. **Assumptions.** Both legs are treated as independent 50-50 events. Related legs behave differently. Nothing here accounts for tax, which lands on winnings at a flat 30% under Section 115BBJ ([Income Tax Department](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/w/section-115bbj)). Four legs at the same fee take the total past 22%. That is the whole appeal of combined bets from the seller's side. ## Four checks before you take any market - Count the outcomes. Then add every implied chance and find the fee. - Find the settlement rule in writing, especially for voids, ties and rain. - Ask what you actually know that the price does not already hold. - Ask whether you could verify the result yourself from a public scorecard. Markets that fail check four are the dangerous ones. If you cannot audit the settlement, the settlement is whatever you are told it is. For the language used in this guide, see our [betting glossary](/guides/cricket-betting-glossary). For the maths behind the prices, start with [how cricket odds work](/guides/how-cricket-odds-work) and then [expected value](/guides/expected-value-explained). Everything else sits on the [guides hub](/guides), and the legal position is in our [PROG Act explainer](/legal/prog-act-2025-explained). ## Questions people ask ### Which cricket market has the smallest fee? Usually the match winner market, because it has two outcomes and lots of attention. Markets with many outcomes carry more padding. In our worked eight-player example the fee reached 13.93%. ### What happens to a runs market if rain cuts the game short? It depends on the platform's written rules, and we have not tested any of them . Revised targets are a separate matter, and our [DLS page](/guides/dls-method-explained) explains how they are set. ### Are extras counted in a runs-in-the-over market? Runs from wides and no-balls are added to the score, and those deliveries are not counted towards the six legal balls of the over ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_(cricket))). How a given platform settles that is in its own rules. ### Is a combined bet better value than singles? No. Each leg carries its own fee and the fees multiply. Two legs at 5.26% become 10.80% together, and payouts on parlays are often set below true odds ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlay_(gambling))). ### Why are session and fancy markets in this list at all? Because Indian readers meet them constantly, and they are the least checkable markets in cricket. We keep them short here and cover each in full on its own page. ## More from the guides - [Cricket Betting Glossary](/guides/cricket-betting-glossary) - [Cricket Formats Explained](/guides/cricket-formats-explained) - [Cricket ID and Agent Accounts](/guides/cricket-id-and-agent-accounts) - [Data Privacy on Gaming Apps in India](/guides/data-privacy-on-gaming-apps) - [DLS Method Explained](/guides/dls-method-explained) - [Expected Value in Betting](/guides/expected-value-explained) - [Fancy Bets in Cricket Explained](/guides/fancy-bets-explained) - [Help for Gambling Harm in India](/guides/help-for-gambling-harm-india) - [How Bookmakers Set Cricket Odds](/guides/how-bookmakers-set-odds) - [Offshore Betting Apps in India](/legal/offshore-betting-apps-india) - [Is Online Cricket Betting Legal in India](/legal/online-betting-law-india) - [Caribbean Premier League 2026 — live schedule and table](/leagues/cpl)