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Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings Preview & Tips
- Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings
- Tata Indian Premier League 17
- Saturday, March 30, 2024, 2pm UK
- Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
Come the final standings, I’m not sure either of these teams will be sat in the top four and playing finals cricket.
This is only Lucknow’s third campaign as an IPL franchise, and they have qualified to play knockout cricket in each of the first two seasons. It is a decent effort for a new team.
But this season, their bowling - or lack of - could cost them.
Afghanistan quick Naveen-ul-Haq is decent, and he has taken a lot of wickets around the world recently, including for Leicestershire in the Vitality Blast. But they don’t have a bowling superstar on their list.
They were beaten in their opener by Rajasthan Royals, while Punjab have won one and lost one.
I think Punjab will win this one, at a best price of Evens with William Hill.
They beat Delhi in their first game defending a 178 target and weren’t a million miles away from getting home against Bangalore in their second game, almost defending 177.
If Harpreet’s happy, so are we
Before I get into the bulk of this preview, I want to give you a price on success for Punjab left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar - bet365′s 12/5 on him to take over 1.5 wickets in the match.
This is a spin-friendly venue, historically, and he’s taken three wickets so far in two matches, including two last time out against Bangalore. In that match he continued his dominance of Australian star Glenn Maxwell.
I will come back to him to complete this preview, as this isn’t the only price I have on his success.
We’ve had to be patient for some Bairstow brilliance
Jonny Bairstow has only posted two fifties in 21 innings across all cricket since the end of the last English summer.
But, in an example of how stats can tell you any story you want, he has scored two fifties in his last five T20 innings, including scores of 73 and 86 not out for England against New Zealand last September.
There is no doubt that Bairstow has been far from his best of late, but I do expect him to come good sooner rather than later and would be keen to take the boosted 4/1 Ladbrokes are offering on him to score a fifty in this match.
Poor form, yes. But that’s a great price on a quality opener. Another thing. If this pitch does suit spin, as it has done previously, facing the new ball might be the best time to bat.
Pair of 5/1 prices have significant appeal
Right, just back to Harpreet Brar. I think he’s a great price at 5/1 with bet365 to be Punjab’s top bowler in the match.
He was exactly that with 2-13 from four overs in their defeat against Bangalore on Monday.
And finally, there is another 5/1 price - this time with PaddyPower - which I think is too juicy on LSG batter and India international Devdutt Padikkal to be his team’s top batter in the match.
I think Padikkal will be his team’s top tournament run-scorer when all is said and done, the left-hander in stunning recent form.
In his last 13 innings in all cricket, including a Test debut for India against England recently, he has scored five centuries. Unfortunately, he posted a duck on his Lucknow debut against Rajasthan the other day from number three. But that can happen. I’m backing him to come good.
2024 Indian Premier League Preview & Tips
- Tata Indian Premier League 17
- Friday March 22 - Sunday May 26, 2024
- 10 venues; Ahmedabad to Vizag
Well, I’m certainly hoping to do better in this season’s IPL regarding team success than I did last.
I picked up a couple of decent priced successes on individual player successes; Shubman Gill to be the competition’s leading run-scorer and Rashid Khan to take over 20 wickets.
But I tipped Chennai to finish bottom of the pile, and the cheeky so and so’s only went and won it!
Having taken a close look at the squads for this year’s competition, which directly precedes the T20 World Cup in June, two stand out to me. They are Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rajasthan are stacked with the bat. Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, captain Sanju Samson, Donovan Ferreira and Rovman Powell to name a few. Bowling wise, they have Ravi Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa. It will definitely be a case of spin it to win it as far as they’re concerned.
For Bangalore, they have batting firepower in Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Will Jacks, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green. With the ball, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley and Tom Curran will be key to their hopes of a maiden title.
Let’s face it, Bangalore, with all the stars they have had down the years, are long overdue a title. But I think it could be Rajasthan’s year again. They won the inaugural IPL title in 2008 and are a best price of 17/2 with bet365 to claim a second success. That’s a price I would be taking.
A right Royal year
One thing I would say is that I would urge a bit of caution and wouldn’t go particularly large with any pre-tournament bets on team success.
I would be a touch concerned that things could change quickly this year given just how close this event is to June’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA.
It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see some countries pull their top stars out as the tournament goes on to manage workloads. That would lead me to only put small stakes on a tournament winner at this stage and then see how things develop over the next month or so.
But I do like a pair of similar prices on success for Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Even with a couple of absentees late on, I expect them to do well.
BetMGM have Rajasthan at 6/4 to finish in the top four in the 10-team league.
Bangalore are also 6/4 with BetMGM to finish in the top four, thus qualifying to play finals cricket.
I also like Rajasthan at 4/1 with bet365 to reach this year’s final, something they did back in 2022 before a fifth-placed finish in the 2023 edition.
Gill & Jaiswal’s fine form to continue as we take a look at top tournament batters
I just love watching Shubman Gill bat, either for India or for Gujarat Titans.
He hit an IPL tournament-high 890 runs in 17 matches at an average of 59.33 this time last year, and over the last two months against England he hit 452 runs in five Tests at 56.5.
He is 1/1 with Betway to be the Titans’ leading run-scorer once more.
I’ll come back to him later, but first, Yashasvi Jaiswal was outstanding against England in the recent Test Matches - almost a coming of age series with 712 runs to his name in five appearances.
And if Rajasthan are to have a good tournament, you would expect that kind of form will continue for the left-hander.
He had a good IPL last year with 625, and was more than 200 runs better off than any team-mate, including Jos Buttler, and I think he’ll achieve the same feat this year. So I would be taking Betway’s 7/4 on him to be Rajasthan’s top tournament batter.
This IPL takes on extra significance given its proximity to June’s T20 World Cup, and Mumbai and India captain Rohit Sharma will be desperate for a good campaign. And he’s due one.
Of his 43 scores of 50 or more in IPL history, only three of them have come since the start of the 2021 campaign. But he was decent in the Tests against England with two series centuries, and I’d be happy to take bet365′s 11/5 on him to be top of the shops runs wise for Mumbai Indians.
I’d also be siding with Mitch Marsh to be Delhi Capitals’ top run-scorer at 4/1 with bet365. There is an all-Australian management team at the Capitals in coach Ricky Ponting and captain David Warner, so there’s a good chance he will be batting in the top three like he does for his country.
If so, I’d expect him to better the likes of Warner, Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant.
Devdutt Padikkal is another who I can see being a team tournament run-scorer, this time for Lucknow Super Giants.
In his last 10 matches since late November - admittedly not T20s - across one-day and first-class cricket, the left-hander has posted scores of 93*, 114, 193, 103, 105, 65, 151 and 65.
He moves from Rajasthan Royals to Lucknow for 2024 in prime form, and thus 5/1 with Betway looks serious value.
Siraj to Mo them down
Bangalore and India seamer Mohammed Siraj is my man to be the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
He claimed a useful 19 wickets in 14 matches for RCB last season, and I expect him to better that. He is 2/1 with Betway to be their leading tournament wicket-taker.
There aren’t actually too many others who stand out for me across the rest of the teams, so I’ll stick with him.
Gill will after encouraging Test series
After last year’s heroics for Gujarat Titans and his recent performances for India in the Test series victory over England, I don’t see any reason why we should go against magical opener Shubman Gill to be the top tournament run-scorer.
He is 10/1 with PaddyPower to be the top tournament run-scorer, a price I would be taking for him to go back-to-back in this market.
And going back to Siraj to finish things off, I would be taking the 12/1 on offer with Betway on him to be the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
* Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
Latest Cricket Price Boosts and Enhanced Offers
We have put together a list of the best price boosts and enhanced offers on the market ahead of the next game. Simply sign-up with the respective offers and take full advantage of these amazing prices!
Here are the latest price boosts ahead of tomorrow’s cricket, which focuses on the PSL:
**Odds correct as of 20/3/24
Paddy Power
The IPL is just round the corner and with the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean coming straight on the back of the tournament, we have a few months of focus solely on T20 cricket so there is plenty at stake over the coming weeks.
Paddy Power are boosting prices on the leading run-scorer in the IPL before the tournament gets going, with either Virat Kohli, David Warner or Jos Buttler boosted from 10/3 to 4/1 to be awarded the orange cap at the end of the tournament.
Kohli pulled out of the recent Test series between England and India due to personal reasons - he welcome his second child in the middle of the series - so should be refreshed and with a point to prove ahead of the World T20, with rumours around whether he should be picked in the India squad but he has a strong record for RCB, and holds the record for the most runs in an IPL season with 973 in 2016.
Warner meanwhile enters the tournament as a white-ball specialist for the first time in his career having retired from Tests in January and has been leading run-scorer three times, though not since 2019. There is no doubt he is not the force he was back then and he really struggled at times last season, but with complete focus on the shortest format he will be a force to be reckoned with this year.
Finally Buttler is another player with a point to prove, having struggled last season with five ducks before England’s disastrous 50-over World Cup defence. At his best he is arguably the best white ball batter in the world as his tally of 863 runs in 2022 showed and the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal should take considerable pressure off his shoulders, so watch out for a dangerous Buttler this year who claims he is feeling refreshed after a tough winter.
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