Cricket Tied Match Rules: How Bets Are Settled

Tie, draw and no result

A tie means both teams scored the same runs after their innings were completed. A draw applies to Tests, where time runs out without a result. A no-result is declared when a limited-overs match cannot reach the minimum overs needed. These three are different outcomes, and a market might handle each in a different way. A match winner market in a limited-overs game might not even list a tie as a result.

How a tie is often resolved

Many limited-overs competitions use a super over to decide a tied game. Rules for what counts differ.

• Market counts the super over: the winner of the super over wins your bet.
• Market does not count it: a tie returns the stake as void.
• Market has a tie option: you can bet on a tie as a separate outcome.

Why the difference matters in numbers

Suppose you stake ৳500 at 2.00 on a team in a tied match. If the market counts the super over and your team wins it, you collect ৳1,000. If it does not count it, you get your ৳500 back. If your team loses the super over, you lose ৳500. The same tie gives three different results, which is why the settlement rule is worth more attention than the odds.

If your stake were ৳1,000 instead, the same three outcomes would be ৳2,000, ৳1,000 returned or ৳1,000 lost.

No result and abandonment

Rain can end a match with too few overs to produce a result. Some markets void all bets, some settle on a method such as Duckworth-Lewis-Stern and some are tied to the start of play. Tournament rules can also change after the event begins. The market text is the best guide, and it may be updated, so read it at the time you place the bet.

Think about incentives too. A market that voids on a tie costs the bookmaker nothing on that outcome, while one that settles on a super over exposes it to a coin-flip-like result. Neither is more generous in a general sense. The practical lesson is that a bet at 1.90 with void-on-tie rules and one at 1.90 with super-over settlement are different products, so compare rules before prices.

How to read the settlement text

Look for the words tie, super over, abandoned, no result and void. Check whether the rules refer to the result as recorded by the competition or a result the bookmaker sets itself. Compare a few markets in the same match and notice where they differ. Related guides: cricket betting overview, Test cricket betting and fall of wicket markets.

Competitions also have their own playing conditions, such as the minimum overs for a result and the method for deciding a shortened game. Those conditions sit outside the bookmaker and can differ between tournaments of the same format.

A habit worth keeping

Screenshot or write down the rule text on the day you bet. If a dispute arises you will have the version you agreed to. Do not rely on memory or on a message from another user.