India is a strong favorite among bettors to win the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, as the host country, unbeaten so far in the tournament, prepares to play Australia in the final on Sunday.
In Australia, Sportsbet is offering 1.4 times the amount for bets on India winning the game, less than half the payout for an Australia win at 2.9 times, as of Friday. Betfair, based in the UK, presents a similar payout, with an India win earning speculators 1.49 times the money they wager, less than half of the payout for Australia at 3 times. Sportsbet and Betfair didn’t reply to emails seeking comment; except for horse racing, sports betting is prohibited in most Indian states.
“The odds of India winning are higher, and they’ve been a favorite this entire tournament,” said Anish Badshah, Seattle-based founder of BETTR Edge, a betting market analysis provider. “But the match is between two of the best teams.”
The clash will be held in front of 130,000 spectators in the Ahmedabad stadium named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his home state Gujarat. A win would add to a year of important milestones for the leader ahead of elections next year, after Delhi held the Group of 20 nations summit in September and India achieved a moon landing. A victory could improve Modi’s chances of getting elected for a third term in the cricket-mad country.
“A sporting win certainly gives some credibility to a governing party,” said Binoy Kampmark, senior lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University in Australia. “And it helps that it is cricket, considered India’s national sport.”
The game also comes as India hopes to host the Olympics for the first time in 2036, while cricket will be formally included in the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. However, its bid could be undermined by criticism of India’s hosting of the Cricket World Cup, with problems including last-minute scheduling and chaotic ticketing processes. Air pollution in India’s cities has been another major concern, as cricketers either canceled training sessions or had to use inhalers.
Meanwhile, global interest in cricket continues to spread, with the sport now drawing interest from Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg News reported this month. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has become one of the richest sporting bodies in the world as its $6.2 billion, local American-league style tournament has catapulted the commercial success of the game globally.
