Just a few days remain for the 2011 Cricket World Cup to begin and cricket fever is peaking. Besides the diehard cricket fans, the bookies are also looking to make a killing. With the CWC happening after four years, bookies promise unprecedented betting.
Considering Team India's performance has been consistently good over the last couple of years under the leadership of MS Dhoni and the fact that they will be playing most of the matches on their home soil, the home team is automatically one of the favourites to lift the World Cup this time. But one can't discount the abilities and capabilities of teams like Australia, a four-time world champion, England, that has won the last T20 World Cup, as well as South Africa and Sri Lanka.
According to bookies, matches involving the six top teams of the CWC could see betting happening anywhere between 200-400 crores, with the figures increasing in the later stages of the tournament. "This is perhaps going to be the biggest World Cup in terms of betting. Also, with two billion people tuning in from across the globe, this CWC is expected to grab maximum eye-balls. If we talk of Lucknow alone, an estimated sum of 15-20 crores is expected to be at stake. The figures will certainly go up as the tournament advances towards the final stages," says a bookie on conditions of anonymity.
The first game of the tournament where Team India and Bangladesh are pitted against each other, will be hugely exciting. The tournament opener will be extremely vital for both the sides. "The first match of the tournament is crucial as India is involved. So, the maximum betting will be done in the first match. Though India is clearly a favourite, one can't ignore Bangladesh as they are playing in their den and have recently beaten New Zealand at home in an ODI series," says another bookie.
No Small Fry
Every World Cup has seen some lesser-known team spring a surprise. And the bookies expect that this World Cup won't be any different. "The maximum money is lost by the punters when any minnow team beats a very strong team, either in the preliminary round or in the later stages of the game," says our source. Not surprisingly, the city's punters are gearing up to put handsome money at stake on the World Cup.
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