A Review of the 2023/24 Cricket Season

It has been a busy season for cricket fans around the world, with plenty of international competitions showcasing the best players. Here’s a short review of the most important events from the 2023/24 season and what made them so exciting.

Cricket World Cup – October/November 2023

The Cricket World Cup is among the most important events for cricket fans around the world. The competition takes place every four years, and it’s the best opportunity to see the finest athletes in action. Australia won the 2023 edition, defeating the host, India, and recovering its status of “king of ODI cricket.” Expectations surrounding India were high since they were hosting the competition and played a brilliant match against New Zealand in the semifinals. Still, the Indian squad fell against Australia in the final in front of 92,000 disappointed fans, frustrating their online cricket betting.  

Asia Cup – August/September 2023

The Asia Cup 2023 was hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka simultaneously, involving 13 matches for six teams: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Only four games took place in Pakistan since the Indian board refused to play in the country. India won the event, becoming the biggest winner of the competition since its first edition in 1983, with eight trophies so far.

Indian Premier League (IPL) – March/April 2024

The IPL is one of the most popular domestic leagues in cricket. It takes place annually and has been contested since 2008. The lucrative and engaging format of the IPL is often the subject of cricket news. Indeed, the IPL managed to raise over 4.5 billion British pounds (USD $6 billion) for its organising institution, the Board Control for Cricket, in India. 

According to the competition’s broadcaster, Disney Star, the 2024 edition surpassed previous records of viewership, reaching 510 million people over 51 matches—18 per cent more than the 2022 edition. The Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL 2024.

Richards-Botham Trophy – July 2024

The Richards-Botham Trophy was created in 2022 as a joint effort between the Caribbean and England. This year’s edition was won by England, which defeated the West Indies in two of the three games. The West Indies had a strong start, defeating England at home, but the squad lost in a humiliating 241-run drubbing. England also won the final match but by a less dramatic margin. 

Sir Vivian Richards Trophy – August 2024

The Sir Vivian Richards Trophy is a test series between West Indies and South Africa. The competition is named after the legendary West Indies cricketer, who has over 15,000 runs and 35 centuries over 308 Test matches. South Africa won this year’s edition.   

Conclusion

According to recent statistics, cricket is the second most-watched sport worldwide, with approximately 2,5 billion fans it is behind only football and its 3,5 billion fans. Thanks to the invention of live streaming services, it is possible to watch any match live, no matter where you are, catching every movement of this fascinating sport for your viewing pleasure. 

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Stake.com Reaps the Rewards of Backing the Indian Premier League

Since it started accepting Indian rupee payments from Indian customers, the official Stake.com iGaming website that offers sports betting services and online casino games all under one roof recently announced that it has been reaping the rewards of its decision to enter the Indian online gambling market. 

Was it a smart decision to back the Indian online gambling market despite the hefty 25% GST on gambling activities?

Yes. According to their figures, punters wagered over $100 million throughout the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).

The IPL is the world’s most successful domestic cricket league, and Stake.com is one of several fully licensed and regulated Indian online sports betting and casino sites that is legally permitted to operate here. 

Despite exceeding the projected revenue growth figures, the trusted operator of this site (and all other legally permitted Indian iGaming sites that currently operate in this highly competitive market) was forced to comply with the 28% GST (Goods and Service Tax) levied upon them. 

How did this renowned operator attract new customers?

Just before the IPL started, the Stake website operator enabled deposits in Indian rupees for the first time, and the decision to accept this currency was part of a much broader marketing campaign. 

It made their site even more accessible than ever and continues to show solid signs of growth despite the hefty new tax regime officially introduced on October 1, 2023. 

Cricket is India’s most popular sport, so the operator of the Stake website offered each new player who signed up before and during the IPL a generous no deposit bonus and a special limited-time-only promotional offer that saw punters being paid out winnings if their chosen team hit a six during the first four overs. 

Although players could only win up to $25 (INR 2,000) from this promotional offer, it was still a successful and short-lived campaign that saw a huge increase in customer conversion and retention rates. 

What were the most popular bets during IPL 2024?

Before the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League got underway, and then throughout the competition, some of the most popular bets people were spending their money on were the following:

• KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) to win IPL 2024 outright (including playoffs)
• SH (Sunrisers Hyderabad) to win IPL 2024 outright (including playoffs)
• RR (Rajasthan Royals) to win IPL 2024 outright (including playoffs)
• Toss winner (home or away team)
• First team/player to score 50 runs (half-century) or 100 runs (century)
• Dismissal method
• Match winner

Other popular bets placed throughout IPL 2024 were the team with the top run-scorer, the best bowler, player of the match, odd/even runs, highest opening partnership, maximum score in an innings, top run scorer, maximum fours/sixes, most run-outs, total runs (over/under), and top batsman, to name a few. 

Who won IPL 2024?

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) came out on top this year, beating the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SH) in the final by 8 wickets (57 balls left). SH finished on 113 (18.3) and KKR finished on 114/2 (10.3). 

A total of 74 matches were played among ten teams, and the most valuable player of the season this time was KKR’s Sunil Narine, a 36-year-old all-rounder (left-handed batter and right-arm off-break bowler) from Trinidad and Tobago. According to the stats, Virat Kohli of the Royal Challengers Bangalore was the second most valuable player in IPL 2024. 

It was the third time that KKR had won the IPL. The only two other teams to win more IPL titles than KKR are the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who have both won on five separate occasions. 

Virat Kohli (orange cap holder) scored the most runs, and Harshal Patel of the Punjab Kings took the most wickets. Abhishek Sharma of the Sunrisers Hyderabad scored the most sixes (42), and teammate Travis Head scored the most fours (64). 

Which other players won coveted IPL awards?

Nitish Kumar Reddy of the Sunrisers Hyderabad won the ‘Emerging Player of the Season’ award, and Jake Fraser-McGurk of the Delhi Capitals won the ‘Electric Striker of the Season’ award. 

The Catch of the Season went to Ramandeep Singh of KKR, and the ‘Team Fair Play’ award went to Pat Cummins of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

Final thoughts

Anyone who decides to sign up to a trustworthy Indian online sports betting and casino site should always do their research before registering a new account. The quickest, easiest, and most reliable way to find a reliable site that won’t let you down is to trust the expert reviews on reputable iGaming review sites, such as the official India Casinos website. 

It’s run by a dedicated team of researchers who are committed to finding the safest and most secure Indian online sports betting casinos. The team will conduct extensive background checks to ensure the site is safe before expertly reviewing each site using the same tried and tested analysis and vetting process. 

To join any of the carefully handpicked featured brands, the best thing to do is to read and compare several reviews to find the most suitable site. They are all free to join, and new accounts can be opened in under a minute, provided you are at least 18. 

The other important thing not to forget is to gamble responsibly and sensibly and to ensure you get the most out of any bonuses and promotional offers you claim (e.g., free bet bonuses, free spins for selected slots, or matching deposit bonuses), always read through the terms and condition attached to those offers. 

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Cricket: What Beginners Need to Know

Only some of you will believe this, but cricket is second only to football in popularity around the world. Cricket is considered a national sport in some countries. It is actively played in Australia, India, Great Britain, and Australian and Asian countries. There are plans to include cricket in the program of the next Olympic Games.

Given its incredible popularity, it is not surprising that many gamblers want to place a bet on services such as Casino Elon and predict the winner. But beginners may have some difficulties with this. The reason is that cricket has quite complex rules. Today, you will learn some basic details about this game.

Where are the competitions held?

You all know what a football field or basketball court looks like. Cricket has its own particular fields. The key feature is the shape of an ellipse. In the middle of the playing field is the so-called pitch. It is a special strip that is 20 meters long and about 3 meters wide.

The pitch is the main area where all the key actions during the match take place. At the ends of the playing strip are wickets consisting of 3 posts and two cylinders.

Number of players in a match

Here, cricket has some similarities with football. For example, this is the number of players in the teams.

During a cricket match, two teams compete against each other. Each team has 11 players. They must defend and attack in turns. This part of the game is called an innings.

The team members are divided according to their roles: bowlers, batsmen, and fielders. Each of them has a very important role, and the result largely depends on their level of play.

How long are the matches?

And here, the most exciting part begins. In fact, there are three different formats at once, directly affecting the match’s duration.

• Test. Such matches are the most tiring, long, and complicated. It is a real test of strength for players. The duration is from 3 to 5 days. Every day, athletes have to play for 6 hours. At the same time, breaks are minimal. Only those players who are members of the International Cricket Council are allowed to participate in test matches;
• One-day internationals. They are called ODI for short. The average duration of such a match is 8 hours. During this time, teams manage to play two innings. But this is not the most exciting thing. Two innings seems like a little. But each of them involves 300 deliveries;
• Twenty 20. There is also a more straightforward name, T20. This format is considered the shortest in duration. On average, matches are played for 3 hours. As in the ODI, here, teams need to play two innings. But the number of deliveries is different – 120. This format was first used about 20 years ago.

How to determine the winner?

Everything is as simple as possible here. The team that earns more points by the end of the match wins.

Cricket players must be in excellent physical shape. This is necessary for rapid acceleration and intense running over short and long distances. Therefore, only professionals participate in the games. The best players in the championships are real idols in India, Australia, and many other countries.

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A souvenir of a long forgotten tour

The first tour of England by a West Indian side took place in the summer of 1900. The visit lasted from the beginning of June, the first day’s competitive cricket being at the Crystal Palace ground against WG Grace’s London County side, and concluded two months later, the final match being a two day game against Norfolk.

The tourists played 17 matches in all, of either two or three days duration. None of the fixtures were First Class, but the West Indians still faced some strong opposition.

The arrangements for the tour were made by a private club, the West Indian club who, at that time, operated from the Howard Hotel in Norfolk Street in London. One of the club’s stated objects, on formation in 1898, was to afford facilities for organising in connection with the West Indies and British Guiana, annual cricket matches and other kindred amusements recognised by our English Universities and Public Schools.

The subsequent story of the West Indian club would doubtless be an interesting one but, for now, all I am aware of is that closed in the 1970s. If, and I know not whether this is the case, it had never moved from the Howard Hotel then its demise may well have been caused by the hotel’s closure as a result of the demolition of Norfolk Street.

The touring party was led by Aucher Warner, the older (by 14 years) brother of ‘Plum’. There were 15 players, all bar two of them amateurs. Ten of the party were white and just five black. The black players were the two professionals, Tommie Burton and ‘Float’ Woods, as well as Fitz Hines and the two most recognisable names, Lebrun Constantine (father of Learie) and Charles Olliviere (who stayed behind after the tour and qualified to play for Derbyshire).

The opening fixture proved to be something of a mismatch as London County proved far too strong for the tourists, eventually running out winners by an innings and 198 runs. The next three games, against Worcestershire, Warwickshire and the Gentlemen of the MCC were defeats as well, before victory was finally achieved over a Minor Counties XI.

Gloucestershire then handed out another heavy defeat before, thanks in large part to a century from guest opener ‘Plum”, the West Indians defeated Leicestershire. The low point of the tour, an innings defeat to Minor County Wiltshire was still to come, but by and large the West Indians, no doubt in part due to an increasing familiarity with English conditions, became more competitive as the tour progressed and their best performance came at the Oval where they achieved an innings defeat over Surrey. The home side were not at full strength, but it was a significant victory nonetheless.

By the end of the tour the West Indians had won five times, drawn four matches and lost eight and the trip was considered a success. The two leading batsmen had been Ollivierre and Constantine, and the two professional bowlers, Woods and Burton, were the most successful bowlers by a distance, in respect of both average and wickets taken.

The lack of any First Class fixtures makes this tour, despite its wider significance, very much a minor one and no publisher went near it. There is however one contemporary souvenir of the tour, a nicely produced 50 page booklet that was published by the West Indian Club. Unsurprisingly the booklet is a scarce one and copies rarely appear on the market. It is an interesting period piece.

The booklet begins with an overview of the tour by ‘Plum’ which summarises the background to Anglo-West Indian cricket before going on to describe the tour’s progress, and thence to pass judgment on the playing records of the individual West Indians. 

Modesty prevents ‘Plum’ making mention of his own contribution against Leicestershire, but his observations can at times be quite sharp. Of Woods he observed that the pace bowler was on occasions up to his best West Indian form, but at other times he seemed to lose heart very easily. Of the batsmen generally one comment is that in the early part of the tour they were both individually, and as a team, the worst judges of a run I have ever seen.

After the Report there is a summary of the results followed by the important business of a scorecard of each match and the tour averages. That takes the booklet to its half way point, and there is some interesting narrative to follow.

To begin with there are a couple of reprints from The Field, a magazine on the subject of countryside pursuits and field sports that remains in print to this day. Both are positive in their reaction to the West Indian visit.

By far the largest part of the booklet however, 23 pages, is devoted to a verbatim account of the speeches and toasts given at the Banquet to the Visitors given by the West Indian Club. There is even a list of the music that was played although, perhaps disappointingly, no menu to inform us as to what the guests dined on.

We do however know who attended, as there is a list of the names of the 57 who did, the evening being chaired by one of English cricket’s grandees, Lord Harris. The West Indian players were present, including Hinds and Ollivierre. Sadly it seems that Woods and Burton, presumably because of their status as professionals, were not there, but there in no explanation for Constantine’s absence – I would like to think there was a principled objection involved.

And so that is that for one of the more unusual items in my collection, but it wasn’t quite the last word on the 1900 tour as, more than twenty years later, a book was published in Trinidad on the subject of the tour, and the next two West Indian tours to England. Written by local journalist Lloyd Sydney Smith I really should get round to reading it.

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