Thanks to the growing popularity of cricket in India, India is home to a very profitable cricket betting market. Indian bettors also enjoy football, but in terms of popularity, online cricket betting still leads the way, and this does not come up as a surprise considering the country’s long and rich history of the game.
Cricket was introduced to India by the British in the early years of the 1700s. Discussing the history of the sport in India, we should mention that the very first official cricket match was played in India in 1721. When it comes to the history of cricket in India, it is also essential to mention the Oriental Cricket Club which was founded in 1848. This was the very first official Indian club.
Indian Cricket League is Growing Rapidly
Considering the increasing popularity of Indian cricket betting and the sport in general, there is no wonder why funding for the Indian Cricket League (ICL) increased massively over the last several years. The ICL, now called the Indian Premier League, was established in 2007 by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The league operated between 2007 and 2009 before it ceased to exist.
It featured nine teams, including four international teams from nine different divisions. The ICL had only two seasons for international and quite a few tournaments between domestic teams. All of the ICL matches were played in the standard Twenty20 format. Due to the lack of support from the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the ICL was replaced by the Indian Premier League.
The Indian Premier League was established by the Board of Control. It also relies on the standard Twenty20 format. It consists of ten teams, and the most successful with five titles is the Mumbai Indians. The most recent champion is the Gujarat Titans, which won its first title in 2022. Some of the best cricket betting websites in India are listed in https://www.bestbettingsites.com/india/cricket/ and they cover all of the Indian Premier League matches.
The Indian Premier League Viewership
Among fans of cricket betting, the Indian Premier League is one of the most exciting sports events. The Indian Premier League 2020 season set a record for significant viewership. More specifically, over 31 million fans watched the IPL matches that season alone. When compared to the viewership stats from 2019, this was a significant increase of around 23%, which is quite astonishing. When it comes to the most recent IPL season, the most prominent league in the world attracted over 229 million cricket fans in just the first week of the tournament.
According to a report released last year by the Broadcast Audience Research Council of India, the IPL’s TV audience exceeded 267 million viewers in the first week of the 2021 season. Even though IPL TV viewership has decreased slightly, the Indian Premier League remains one of the most-watched leagues in the world, with a staggering loyal fan base that keeps growing. What is also growing in popularity as the Indian Premier League’s fan base increases are online cricket betting, as even the Indian female cricket team is gaining more fans and popularity than ever before.
The Gamblers Like the Indian Cricket League
As previously mentioned, all of the best cricket betting sites in India cover all of the Indian Premier League matches, with most games being available with excellent live betting options. With cricket being the most popular sport in the country, there is no wonder why cricket betting is equally popular. It is so popular among residents of India that the latest reports suggest that over $15 billion is invested by Indian bettors on loads of different matches every single year.
The high level of engagement and interest in Indian cricket betting has naturally led to the establishment of many different online and offline options in India. The best cricket betting sites in India offer quite a few other cricket wagering options. More specifically, you can bet on the match winner, and this is probably the most popular cricket wagering type. With these types of bets, making profits is challenging, especially if you find online sportsbooks with competitive prices.
Aside from match wagering, top batsman options in cricket are also very popular. The leading batsman wagering is when you bet on the player you believe can finish the game with the most runs. Once again, this is a very profitable bet. Among the fans, top bowler options are also trendy. In this market, you place a wager on the bowler you believe can score the most wickets in a single match.
Other popular options include toss winner, player of the match, series winner, and futures. Some bet types also let you place bets on the batsmen you believe can score at least fifty runs by the end of the game.
You can also set a wager on the batsman you think can score at least one hundred runs in a single match. Even or odd runs, most sixes, over and under, and most run-outs options are also commonly available at every top-ranked cricket betting site. With this being said, being a fan of the sport in India presents limitless winning opportunities, especially if you place your wagers at reputable sportsbooks.
