How to Read Cricket Odds: Match Odds, Bookmaker and Fancy Explained

By CricPlus Support · Reviewed by CricPlus Security Officer · Published 22 October 2026 · Last updated 22 October 2026

Cricket odds on CricPlus come in three markets. Match Odds shows decimal prices to back (blue) or lay (pink) each team. Bookmaker (BM) is a second winner market with its own prices. Fancy (f) markets ask about runs, wickets or events, such as runs after 6 overs. Back means "yes, it happens"; lay means "no, it doesn't".

Key facts: cricket odds on CricPlus (as of October 2026)

• Match pages show three market types: Match Odds, Bookmaker (BM) and Fancy (f).
• Prices are decimal, with Back in blue, Lay in pink and the amount available shown under each price.
• Odds update live ball by ball, and markets are suspended at key moments such as a wicket or a review.
• Each market shows its own minimum and maximum stake.
• Under CricPlus rules, live scores and video come from third-party feeds and may be delayed; the TV feed has a 5-second delay.

What do cricket match odds mean?

Match Odds asks which team will win the match. The price is a decimal number that shows your total return for each unit staked, including the stake.

• Return = stake × price
• Profit = stake × (price − 1)

If you back a team at 1.80 with a stake of 100 and it wins, you get 180 back: 80 profit and your 100 stake. If it loses, you lose the 100.

To see how likely the market thinks a result is, divide 1 by the price:

Implied probability is the market's view at that moment. In cricket it can swing hard: a cluster of wickets or one big over can move a 1.25 favourite out to 2.50 within minutes.

What is the difference between back and lay in cricket?

A back bet supports an outcome: you win if it happens. A lay bet opposes it: you win if it doesn't happen, much like acting as the bookmaker.

The risk is very different. When you back, the most you can lose is your stake. When you lay, the most you can lose is your liability:

Liability = lay stake × (price − 1)

Worked example. You lay Team A at 2.50 with a stake of 100.

• If Team A loses, you win 100.
• If Team A wins, you pay 100 × 1.50 = 150. That is your liability.

Lay the same team at 5.00 and your liability rises to 400 for the same possible win of 100. Always check the liability before confirming a lay, and only risk what you can afford to lose in full.

How do I read the Match Odds grid?

On the home list, each match shows 1 / X / 2 columns: team one, the draw, team two. In limited-overs cricket the draw is rare, but in Test matches it is a real outcome with its own price.

On the match page, each team has a row with a best Back price and a best Lay price. The Back price is normally a little lower than the Lay, for example back 1.80 and lay 1.82. The smaller figure under each price is the amount available to be matched there. If your stake is larger than that amount, only part of it may be matched at the price you see.

What is the Bookmaker (BM) market?

The Bookmaker market is a second market on who wins, shown separately from Match Odds on the match page and marked BM. It has its own prices, its own minimum and maximum stake, and its own suspensions. Treat it as a separate market: a bet in Bookmaker is not the same as a bet in Match Odds, even on the same team.

The CricPlus Bookmaker rules include some cricket-specific settlement points:

• Where a Bookmaker result is decided by comparing the two teams' scores, the rules compare the first 10 overs in an ODI and the first 6 overs in a T20. The higher score wins. If scores are equal, the team that lost fewer wickets wins; then the team with more boundaries; if all are equal, the result is no result.
• If two teams end level on points, the result follows the official points table.
• Queries about results or rates must be raised within 7 days of the event.

Read the exact wording in the Bookmaker section of the CricPlus rules before relying on any of these.

How do fancy odds work?

Fancy markets ask about something other than the winner, most often how many runs a team will have scored by a set over. This is called a session. A 6-over session, for example, asks how many runs the batting team will have after 6 overs.

A fancy market shows a run line rather than a decimal winner price:

• Back (Yes): you think the score will reach the line or more.
• Lay (No): you think the score will finish below the line.

The CricPlus rules give a clear example. In a 6-over session, one bet lays (No) at 40 and another backs (Yes) at 48. The actual score is 38. The lay at 40 wins, because 38 is below 40. The back at 48 loses, because 38 did not reach 48.

Other fancy markets include lambi (total innings runs), player runs, partnerships, fall of wickets and odd/even. Each has its own rules for rain, reduced overs and all-outs, which we explain in our guide to cricket fancy rules: sessions, lambi and khado.

Why do cricket odds get suspended?

Markets are suspended when something could change the price sharply: a wicket, a boundary, a review, a rain break or the end of an innings. While a market is suspended, you can't place bets.

Under the CricPlus Fancy Market rules:

• If a fancy market is suspended because of a technical error and does not resume, the result is still given and earlier bets stand, settled as win or loss.
• If a market is wrongly left open after a result is known, bets placed after the result are deleted.
• If a wrong rate was offered in a fancy, those bets are cancelled.
• If you place a bet in the wrong fancy by mistake, it is treated as a confirmed bet and won't be deleted.

The rules also warn that live scores come from third-party feeds and may be delayed or inaccurate, and that other users may see faster data. Don't assume the score on your screen is the latest ball.

How do I read cricket odds sensibly?

Good odds reading is about understanding the risk you're taking. It is not a way to guarantee winnings. Before any bet:

1. Turn the price into an implied probability and ask whether you agree with it.
2. For lay bets and fancy No bets, think about how much you could lose, not just the stake.
3. Check the market's minimum and maximum stake and the amount available.
4. Set a budget for the match before the first ball, and stop when it's used.

To practise, open the live cricket odds board and work out the implied probability of each team's price over a few overs, without betting. When you want to place a bet, start from the official address; our page on signing in to your account covers the login steps.

Frequently asked questions

What does 1.50 mean in cricket odds?

A decimal price of 1.50 returns 1.50 for every 1 staked if a back bet wins, so a stake of 100 returns 150, including 50 profit. Its implied probability is about 66.7%.

What is the difference between Match Odds and Bookmaker in cricket?

Both ask who will win, but they are separate markets with their own prices, stake limits and suspensions. Bookmaker (BM) also has its own settlement rules, such as comparing the two teams' scores after 10 overs in an ODI or 6 overs in a T20 where a result is decided that way.

What does Yes and No mean in fancy?

In a fancy session, Yes (back) means you expect the score to reach the line or more, and No (lay) means you expect it to finish below the line. For example, if the line is 40 and the team scores 38, No wins.

Why is the cricket market suspended?

Markets are suspended at moments that can move prices sharply, such as wickets, boundaries, reviews, rain breaks and innings changes. They reopen when trading can safely continue.

Can a fancy bet be cancelled after I place it?

Under CricPlus rules, bets placed at a wrong rate are cancelled, and bets placed after a result is known are deleted. A bet placed in the wrong fancy by mistake is not deleted and counts as confirmed.

Is the live score on the site exactly real time?

Not always. The rules say scores and other live data come from third-party feeds and may be delayed or inaccurate, and the TV feed has a 5-second delay. If you rely on this data to bet, you do so at your own risk.

18+ only. Play responsibly. Betting involves risk of loss. Set deposit and time limits and never bet money you can't afford to lose. Free, confidential help: GamCare (gamcare.org.uk), Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org), GambleAware (gambleaware.org). Check the laws where you live.