The Five Best Cricket Tournaments That You Can Bet on

Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world - although, we must admit that the figures are boosted considerably by the fact that it is practically a religion in places such as India and Pakistan. It is also really popular in places such as England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. Due to its popularity, there are now a number of quality cricket competitions that cricket fans around the world can watch and place bets on. In this article, we are going to have a look at the five biggest tournaments and some of the best betting sites where you can bet on these competitions.

The Indian Premier League

The Indian Premier League, also known as the IPL, was founded by the BCCI back in 2007 and ever since the first edition took place in 2008 it has gone on to become the most popular cricket event in the world. According to official data, the first week of the 2022 IPL was watched on television by 229 million people. There used to be eight teams in this prestigious competition, but two teams were added in 2022 - the Gujurat Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants.

What makes this T20 competition so popular is the fact that many of the matches are extremely close right, and you can never be sure as to who will come out on top. What is not to like about the best 20/20 cricket players in the world battling it out for the right to lift the famous Indian Premier League trophy while boosting their bank accounts considerably?

ICC Men’s 50-Over Cricket World Cup

When it comes to international ODI cricket, this is the pinnacle, without a doubt. It is a competition that takes place once every four years, much like the FIFA World Cup, and it is one that is watched by millions whenever it is being played.

The current World Champions are England, and the 2018 World Cup final against New Zealand is one that anyone who saw it will remember until the day that they died. After both England and New Zealand had batted, the scores were tied, which meant that they match went to a Super Over. Unbelievably, the scores were still level after the Super Over, which meant that England became World Champions for the first time based on the fact that they scored more boundaries in the match. Drama? Yes, please!

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

Above we spoke about the prestigious 50-over Cricket World Cup, but there is also a 20-over Cricket World Cup that is another competition that every international cricketer wants to win. The first edition of this tournament took place in 2007 in South Africa, with India going on to lift the trophy under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

This competition usually takes place every two years, but after the 2016 edition, there was a five-year gap due to the pandemic. The last T20 World Cup was played in 2021, and the Aussies were the champions, beating New Zealand in the final quite easily. Thankfully, we do not need to wait another number of years before the next one since Australia will be hosting the 2022 T20 World Cup from the 16th of October until the 13th of November.

The Ashes

When it comes to cricket rivalries, one of the biggest rivalries is between England and Australia. Any match between these two teams guarantees plenty of niggle, a lot of skill, and more than enough entertainment. This is why The Ashes, which is a five-match Test series between Australia and England is an event that gets plenty of attention, even from cricket fans who do not support either of these nations.

The Ashes came about when a British newspaper, back in 1882, published an obituary for English cricket after England lost to Australia at the Oval - this was the Aussies first ever win on English soil. The publication stated that English cricket had died and that its body will be cremated and taken to Australia. The English captain at the time, Ivo Bligh, declared that he would go and regain the ashes, and the rest is history.

This competition is usually held once every two years, and the Aussies currently hold the little urn since they won the 2021/2022 edition 4-0. The next edition will be played in England in the summer of 2023, and we cannot wait to see who will come out on top.

The Asia Cup

The Asia Cup really is a one-of-a-kind competition since it alternates between a T20 format and an ODI format every couple of years with the winning side being crowned the best team in Asia. The 2016 version of this competition was actually the first one to be played in T20I mode, and it was done so as some preparation for the T20 World Cup that took place later that year. However, it was such a success that it was decided that the from then on it would alternate between the two most popular formats.

India are the most successful Asia Cup team, having won it seven times, while Sri Lanka are the current champions, having won the T20I edition that was played earlier in 2022. This means that Sri Lanka have five titles, making them the second most successful team. The next edition of this competition will be played in Pakistan, but at this moment in time we do not know the dates that it will take part on.

Where to Bet on These Tournaments

Due to the popularity of cricket, it will come as no surprise to find out that there are many betting sites out there that offer a variety of markets and top odds for betting on the above tournaments. However, like with everything in life, sports betting sites have not all been created equally, and below we have listed some of the best bookies for betting on cricket:

• Betiton Sport
• Betway
• William Hill
• Bet365
• Ladbrokes
• Unibet

Here is an update for you. For those of you in Nigeria, you can find an updated list of sportsbooks in this publication: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/04/best-betting-sites-in-nigeria-for-2023/