Many countries around the world claim to be sports fanatics, but few can match India in terms of passion. Of course, the British love the beautiful game of football, many Canadians are wild about ice hockey. Yet, nothing comes close to India’s bond with cricket – the country simply lives and breathes the game, which is probably why they are such a dominant force in that sport.
While cricket is clearly India’s number one, there are several other sports that are popular too, particularly among the online betting community. Visit any one of the top-rated sports betting sites in India, and a profusion of wagering opportunities await. Here are some of the favourites:
Cricket
It’s no surprise that cricket betting tops the charts in India. All formats of the game are available with an abundance of pre-match and live betting markets. The most popular events for bettors are:
- Indian Premier League (IPL)
- Test Matches (particularly those involving India)
- The Big Bash (Australia)
- Sheffield Shield (Australia)
- T20 Blast (England)
- County Championship (England)
The variety of markets that online bookmakers offer has made cricket an exciting sport for bettors. Besides wagering on the match result, eager punters can bet over/under on the total number of runs, which player will be the top runs scorer, method of first dismissal, and many others. It gets even more thrilling with in-play betting as customers can wager on a ball-by-ball basis if they wish.
Football
Although nothing comes close to cricket in India, betting on football is still massively popular. Part of the reason for this is because it’s a global game, so there is always a match happening somewhere.
Many punters like to wager on their favourite local teams in the India Premier League and the I-League. But, the real juice comes from Europe, in the form of competitions, such as the Champions League, the Europa League, EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1.
Another appealing factor that makes football betting so alluring is that all of the top sportsbooks, like the Pari Match sportsbook, offer dozens of betting markets with hundreds of unique selections for each game. Furthermore, there are wagering opportunities for all types of bettors. Some like to bet on low-risk selections like over 0.5 goals, whereas other bettors look for larger payouts on correct scores and half-time/full-time bets.
Tennis
Tennis may not jump out as one of India’s top sports, but many Indian bettors crave this action. The scoring system of this game causes wild fluctuations in the live betting odds. For example, if a player goes 0 – 30 on their serve, the betting operator has to react to the possibility of a break of serve.
With dominant players, including Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, and Daniil Medvedev, there often isn’t too much value wagering on the match winner in the early stages of tournaments. Therefore, many bettors wager over/under on the total number of games in the match or a single set.
Much like football, tennis is played in most countries, and there are ATP, WTA, ITF Men and Women, Challenger Series events taking place on a weekly basis, so there’s never a shortage of action.
Kabaddi
Since the foundation of the Pro Kabaddi League in 2014, betting on this local sport has grown in leaps and bounds. Kabaddi is a high-energy, physical game with a unique point-scoring system that can swing matches one way or the other.
Those with a good knowledge of the game and the star players will look for value in the various kabaddi betting markets. Whether it’s the total tags or the player who scores the most raiding points, wagering on kabaddi is as enthralling as the game itself.
