Four formats. Two balls. One game. Cricket is truly unique sport with action packed into every moment.
The main formats are Test matches, played with a red ball and lasting up to five days, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 (T20) matches, where a limited number of overs are bowled per team with a white ball. A new hundred-ball format and competition (The Hundred) is also set to make its debut, arriving on the English domestic scene in July 2021.
There’s plenty to look forward to with a packed calendar in store. The second half of the year sees the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) take place after the pandemic forced its postponement in May, before the T20 World Cup gets underway in India and we head Down Under for the Ashes series between England and Australia.
Ready for the action? At Ladbrokes, you can find the best cricket odds on every format, every tour and every tournament. We’ve got a comprehensive range of pre-match and In-Play markets, whether you want to bet on international matches or domestic competitions like England’s T20 Vitality Blast, the Pakistan Super League and Australia’s Big Bash.
Betting on the Indian Premier League
Since launching in 2008, the IPL has forever changed the world of cricket. This T20 tournament features eight franchises with squads assembled from the ranks of the world’s most explosive and skilful players. You can catch homegrown heroes like MS Dhoni, Ravi Ashwin and national team captain Virat Kohli, alongside international superstars Steve Smith, AB de Villiers and Jofra Archer.
Having won both of the last two editions, Mumbai Indians are the IPL’s most successful side with five titles, while rivals Chennai Super Kings have three. Both teams will be chasing glory with the 2021 IPL is set to return from September to October. Who are you backing when the competition reignites in the UAE? Have your say on outright winners, run scorers and wicket takers with Ladbrokes.
Betting on the T20 World Cup
We’ll be heading to India for the T20 World Cup after it was rescheduled from last year and moved from Australia to India. Set to hit the pitches in October and November, there’s sure to be plenty of fireworks as the sport’s short-form supremos meet up for the tournament.
Will we be treated to the same drama and intensity that saw West Indies’ Carlos Braithwaite crash Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes to defeat England in the 2016 final? After winning the 2019 ODI World Cup, Eoin Morgan’s side will look to go one better this time out. But India will be hoping the talismanic Kohli can lead them to a second World Cup in front of their enormous home support.
Can they lift the trophy, or might the mercurial West Indies claim a record third World T20 title? And will the self-styled ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle produce another spectacular display in what could be his last major tournament? If you fancy making your pick, check out our range of pre-match and In-Play cricket betting markets for the T20 World Cup.
Betting on The Hundred
Arriving in a blaze of new franchises, colourful kits and an entirely new format, The Hundred is set to launch in the UK this summer. Shorter than any other form of cricket, the competition will see bowlers take five or 10 balls in a row. Each bowler changes ends after every 10 balls, with expansive Powerplay sessions in place for the first 25 balls.
Will it bring a new audience to cricket? Time will tell, but in the meantime, you can find great betting odds on The Hundred, with double-headers of men’s and women’s matches in the same venue on the same day for most fixtures. The city-based franchise teams are Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire.
Each squad features 15 cricketers, with three overseas players and one England red-ball contracted player, including Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. They’ll be joined by top international names such as Faf du Plessis and Sunil Narine, and we’ll be there for every ball of this brand-new the tournament. Ready to bet? Get the latest odds as the action unfolds!
Betting on the World Test Championship
The World Test Championship was launched in 2019 to make Test cricket more competitive throughout the year. It runs in two-year cycles where the nine top-ranked teams play series against each other and accumulate championship points. The inaugural final, held in England in June 2021, saw New Zealand triumph over India to lift the iconic Test Mace.
The 2021-23 edition starts in August when England play a home series against India, having been humbled by Kohli’s men in the reverse fixtures earlier this year. Can Root get revenge this time out? He’ll be hoping for a positive reaction as his side build towards the legendary Ashes series against Australia, which is set to get underway at The Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday 8th December.
Can England reclaim the urn? Or will Smith & co thwart them once again? Whether you want to bet on the score of each match after 60 overs, the number of boundaries scored by a player or team, the top wicket taker in each innings or how each batsman will be dismissed, we’ve got you covered with a comprehensive selection of cricket odds and markets.