Cricket Betting Rules: Rain, DLS, Ties, Super Overs and Draws
Quick answer: a match bet on a rain-shortened ODI stands on the official result, DLS included, as long as at least 20 overs were bowled to the side batting second; below that the match is a no result and match bets are void. A tied ODI or T20I goes to a Super Over, and the match winner market is normally settled on it; if no Super Over is played, a two-way bet is usually settled under dead heat rules. In a Test, a draw is a result, not a void: only draw no bet gives the stake back.
Cricket has more ways to finish without a clean winner than any other major sport: rain can shorten the game, the scores can finish level, and a five-day Test can end with neither side winning. Each of those outcomes settles a bet differently depending on the market, and the rules that decide it are split between the ICC's playing conditions and your operator's terms. This page puts the two side by side.
It is an explainer, not a tipping page: no prices, no predictions, no operator named.
Update, 4 November 2026: New Zealand v India, five ODIs and two Tests
India's tour of New Zealand is a 12-match series across all three formats. The T20I leg finished on 1 November with India winning it 3-2. The ODI leg began on 4 November in Auckland, and the two Tests follow from 19 November. Every rule on this page applies to these seven matches: ODIs carry the rain and Super Over questions, Tests the draw question, and a two-Test series can end level.
| Match | Venue | New Zealand | UK and Ireland | Malta | South Africa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | Auckland | Wed 4 Nov, 3pm | Wed 4 Nov, 2am | Wed 3am | Wed 4am |
| 2nd ODI | Wellington | Sat 7 Nov, 3pm | Sat 7 Nov, 2am | Sat 3am | Sat 4am |
| 3rd ODI | Hamilton | Tue 10 Nov, 3pm | Tue 10 Nov, 2am | Tue 3am | Tue 4am |
| 4th ODI | Mount Maunganui | Fri 13 Nov, 3pm | Fri 13 Nov, 2am | Fri 3am | Fri 4am |
| 5th ODI | Mount Maunganui | Sun 15 Nov, 3pm | Sun 15 Nov, 2am | Sun 3am | Sun 4am |
| 1st Test (19-23 Nov) | Wellington | Thu 19 Nov, 11am | Wed 18 Nov, 10pm | Wed 11pm | Thu midnight |
| 2nd Test (27 Nov-1 Dec) | Christchurch | Fri 27 Nov, 11am | Thu 26 Nov, 10pm | Thu 11pm | Fri midnight |
Dates and venues from the schedule announced by New Zealand Cricket and published by the ICC; start times from the ESPN fixture list, converted by us. New Zealand is on daylight saving time (UTC+13) throughout, the UK on GMT.
Update, 6 November 2026: Australia v England, three ODIs and five T20Is
England's white-ball tour of Australia starts in Perth on Friday 13 November: three one-day internationals, then a five-match T20 international series that ends in Canberra on 2 December. The ODIs start at 3.30am UK time; the T20Is are evening matches in Australia, so they start at 8.15am in the UK and Ireland.
| Match | Venue | Local time | UK and Ireland | Malta | South Africa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | Perth | Fri 13 Nov, 11.30am | Fri 13 Nov, 3.30am | Fri 4.30am | Fri 5.30am |
| 2nd ODI | Adelaide | Sun 15 Nov, 2pm | Sun 15 Nov, 3.30am | Sun 4.30am | Sun 5.30am |
| 3rd ODI | Hobart | Wed 18 Nov, 2.30pm | Wed 18 Nov, 3.30am | Wed 4.30am | Wed 5.30am |
| 1st T20I | Melbourne (MCG) | Sat 21 Nov, 7.15pm | Sat 21 Nov, 8.15am | Sat 9.15am | Sat 10.15am |
| 2nd T20I | Gold Coast | Tue 24 Nov, 6.15pm | Tue 24 Nov, 8.15am | Tue 9.15am | Tue 10.15am |
| 3rd T20I | Brisbane (Gabba) | Fri 27 Nov, 6.15pm | Fri 27 Nov, 8.15am | Fri 9.15am | Fri 10.15am |
| 4th T20I | Sydney (SCG) | Sun 29 Nov, 7.15pm | Sun 29 Nov, 8.15am | Sun 9.15am | Sun 10.15am |
| 5th T20I | Canberra | Wed 2 Dec, 7.15pm | Wed 2 Dec, 8.15am | Wed 9.15am | Wed 10.15am |
Dates, venues and local start times from the England and Wales Cricket Board's fixture announcement of 22 March 2026, cross-checked against the ESPN fixture list; UK, Malta and South Africa times are our conversion (the UK is on GMT; most Australian states are on daylight saving time, Western Australia and Queensland are not).
What changes from the New Zealand series is the format mix, and with it the settlement thresholds:
- ODIs: a result needs at least 20 overs bowled to the side batting second; below that the match is a no result and match bets are normally void.
- T20Is: the minimum is five overs to the side batting second, so a heavily shortened T20I is far more likely to produce a result (and a settled bet) than a shortened ODI. A tie goes to a Super Over, as in the ODIs.
- Series winner:with three ODIs or five T20Is the series can only finish level if at least one match is a no result, for example 1-1 in the ODIs. If a draw was not offered, a level series is usually settled under dead heat rules: £10 on England at 2.40 would return £12.00 (half the stake at full odds) rather than £24.00.
Tests elsewhere this month, where a draw is a full result: Bangladesh v West Indies (second Test in Sylhet, under way since 5 November), Pakistan v Sri Lanka (Rawalpindi from 9 November, Lahore from 17 November) and South Africa v Bangladesh (Johannesburg from 15 November, Centurion from 23 November), dates from the ESPN fixture list.
The short answer, market by market
The same interruption settles differently on different markets. This is the usual position across UK-licensed operators; where the table says “usually” or “often”, the operator's own cricket rules are the final word.
| Market | Rain, reduced overs, no result | Tie and Super Over |
|---|---|---|
| Match winner, ODI or T20I (two-way) | Stands on the official result, including a DLS result. Void if the match is a no result. | Settled on the Super Over winner if one is played. If the match is recorded as a tie, usually dead heat rules. |
| Match result with a tie option (three-way) | Stands on the official result. Void on a no result. | Check the wording: some settle the tie selection on the score before any Super Over, others on the official result. |
| Test match result (three-way) | A rain-ruined Test that ends level settles on the draw. It is a result, not a void. | A tied Test (scores level, all out) is extremely rare; most rules treat it under dead heat or settle the tie selection if offered. |
| Draw no bet (Tests) | Stake returned if the Test is drawn. | Treated as the operator's rules say; usually stake returned or dead heat. |
| Series winner | Settled on the official series result. A no result can leave a five-match series level. | If the series ends level and a draw was offered, the draw wins; if not, usually dead heat rules. |
| Top batter (team or match) | Usually stands if a minimum number of overs is bowled; void below that threshold. | Two or more players on the same top score: dead heat rules. Super Over runs do not count. |
| Innings or match runs over/under | Often void once the overs are reduced, unless the line had already been passed. | Super Over runs are not part of either innings and do not count. |
Rain and DLS: when a shortened match still counts
Limited-overs cricket has a minimum below which there is no match at all. Under clause 13 of the ICC men's ODI playing conditions, a one-day international needs at least 20 overs to have been bowled to the side batting second for a result to stand; in a T20 international the equivalent minimum is five overs. Above that line the umpires declare a winner, and when the second innings is shortened that winner is decided by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which resets the target for the overs available.
For a match winner bet, the DLS result is the result. It does not matter that the chasing side was set 180 in 32 overs rather than 280 in 50: if the official scorecard says it won, a bet on it wins. Below the minimum, the match is a no result and match bets are normally void, with the stake returned. A no result is not the same as an abandonment before a ball is bowled, but for the match winner market the two usually settle the same way.
Runs markets are where rain catches bettors out. An over/under line on first-innings runs was priced for 50 overs. If the innings is cut to 40, the line no longer means what it meant, so many operators void it unless the outcome was already decided before the interruption (an over bet that had already been passed, for example). A player runs line that is already won normally stays won.
Worked example
You back the chasing side to win at 2.10 for £10, and you also bet £10 on over 280.5 first-innings runs. Rain stops the first innings at 241 for 6 after 44 overs and the match is reduced to 44 overs a side. The chasing side reaches its DLS target with three balls to spare. The match bet wins and returns £21.00. The runs bet is usually void, because the innings was shortened before the line was reached, and the £10 comes back. Had the first innings already passed 280 before the rain, the over bet would have been settled as a winner.
Ties: the Super Over, and the time it was not played
The ICC's men's ODI playing conditions, in force since December 2023, say that if a match ends in a tie a Super Over shall be played, and further Super Overs until there is a winner. Only if it is not possible to play or complete them does the match stay a tie. T20 internationals work the same way.
The rule on paper and the rule on the day can differ. In August 2024 the first ODI between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo finished with both teams on 230, and no Super Over was played. Wisden reported that the playing conditions required one; the match was recorded as a tie. That is the case a bettor needs to plan for, because a two-way match winner market has no selection for it.
There are therefore three possible settlements of the same “New Zealand to win” bet in a tied ODI:
- A Super Over is played and New Zealand win it: the bet wins in full on most operators, because the Super Over decides the official winner.
- A Super Over is played and India win it: the bet loses.
- No Super Over, match recorded as a tie: usually dead heat rules. Half the stake is lost and the other half is paid at full odds.
Worked example
£10 on New Zealand at 1.90. If New Zealand win the Super Over, the return is £19.00. If the tie stands with no Super Over and dead heat rules apply, £5 is settled at 1.90 and £5 is lost: the return is £9.50, a loss of 50p on the bet. At any price below 2.00 a dead heat returns less than the stake; the arithmetic is set out in our dead heat rules guide and you can run your own numbers in the dead heat calculator.
One more distinction: runs scored in a Super Over belong to the Super Over, not to either innings. They do not count towards a team total, player runs or top batter. A batter who scores 12 in a Super Over has not added 12 to his innings.
Test matches: the draw is a result
Tests have no Super Over and no DLS. A Test is only won when one side has completed both its innings and finished behind; if time runs out before that, the match is drawn, however one-sided it was. For betting this means the main Test market is three-way: home, draw, away. A rain-hit Test in Wellington that ends with India 200 runs ahead on the final evening is a draw, and bets on India lose.
Draw no bet removes the draw: if it happens, the stake comes back. The price is lower because the bet can no longer lose to a draw. It is the market to look at when the weather forecast for the five days is poor and you have a view on which side is stronger but not on whether there will be time to finish.
Worked example
Two bets on the same Test, £10 each: India to win on the three-way market, and India draw no bet. Two days are lost to rain and the Test is drawn. The three-way bet loses £10. The draw no bet stake of £10 is returned. Had India won, both bets would have paid, the three-way one at the higher price.
Series betting: level is possible in both formats
A two-Test series can finish 1-1 or 0-0, so the Test series market normally has a draw selection. A five-match ODI series looks as if it must produce a winner, but it does not: one no result or one tie that stands can leave it at 2-2. Read the series market before betting on it. If a draw selection is offered, a level series settles on it. If the market is two-way only, a level series is usually settled under dead heat rules, and some operators state that a series with fewer completed matches than scheduled is settled on the official series result regardless.
Series bets also run for days or weeks. A bet on the ODI series placed today is not settled until after 15 November; a bet on the Test series not until 1 December at the earliest.
Top batter: the market where dead heats are common
Two batters finishing on the same top score happens far more often than a tied match, which makes top batter (team or match) the cricket market most exposed to dead heat rules. The stake is divided by the number of players tied and each part is paid at full odds.
Worked example
£10 on a batter at 5.00 to be his team's top scorer. He makes 74, and so does a teammate. The stake is split in two: £5 at 5.00 returns £25.00, against £50.00 without the tie. With three players level at 7.00, £3.33 is paid at 7.00 for a return of £23.33.
Most operators also set a minimum number of overs for top batter to stand (so a match cut to a handful of overs does not settle it) and treat a player who is named but does not bat according to their rules: void if he takes no part, settled if he is in the starting XI. The same logic of “what counts and what does not” is covered for football in abandoned match betting rules and does extra time count in betting, and for Formula 1 in F1 betting rules.
Who this page is for
This guide is written for readers in places where betting on cricket is legal and regulated. In Great Britain that means an operator licensed by the Gambling Commission. In New Zealand, TAB NZ is the only operator licensed to take sports bets. It is not aimed at readers in India, where the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 prohibits online money games, including betting.
The playing conditions decide what happens on the field; your operator's terms decide what happens to your bet. When the two seem to disagree, the operator's cricket rules are the ones your bet was accepted under, so read them before a match where rain is forecast or a tie is plausible.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to my bet if a cricket match is shortened by rain?
A match bet normally stands as long as the match produces an official result. In a one-day international that means at least 20 overs have been bowled to the side batting second, and the result is the one the umpires declare, including a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) result. If too few overs are possible and the match is declared a no result, match bets are normally void and stakes returned. Runs markets are different: many operators void an innings or match runs line once the overs are reduced, unless the line had already been passed before the interruption. Check the cricket section of your operator's rules for its exact wording.
What happens to a cricket bet if the match is tied?
It depends on whether a Super Over is played and on your operator's rules. Under the ICC men's ODI and T20I playing conditions a tied match goes to a Super Over, and most operators settle the match winner market on the team that wins it. If no Super Over is played and the match is recorded as a tie, a two-way match winner bet with no tie option is usually settled under dead heat rules: half the stake is lost and the other half is paid at full odds. If the market offered a tie as a selection, the tie wins and both team selections lose.
Does the Super Over count for betting?
For the match winner market, usually yes: the winner of the Super Over is the official winner of the match, and that is the result most operators settle on. For runs and player markets, usually no: runs scored in a Super Over are not part of either innings, so they do not count towards team totals, player runs or top batter. Some operators state this in a single sentence in their cricket rules, which is worth reading before a knockout match or a tight bilateral game.
What happens to a Test match bet if it ends in a draw?
A draw is a full result in Test cricket, not a void. On the three-way match result market the draw selection wins and bets on either team lose, even if most of the match was lost to rain. Draw no bet is the market that returns your stake on a draw. A Test is void only in narrow cases, typically when it is abandoned without a ball bowled or moved to another venue; the exact cases are in your operator's terms.
What time are the New Zealand v India ODIs in the UK?
All five ODIs start at 3pm in New Zealand, which is 2am in the UK and Ireland, 3am in Malta and 4am in South Africa on the same day. The dates are Wednesday 4, Saturday 7, Tuesday 10, Friday 13 and Sunday 15 November 2026. The two Tests start at 11am New Zealand time, which is 10pm UK time on the previous evening: Wednesday 18 November for the first Test in Wellington and Thursday 26 November for the second in Christchurch.
What time are the Australia v England matches in the UK?
The three ODIs start at 3.30am UK and Irish time: Friday 13 November in Perth, Sunday 15 November in Adelaide and Wednesday 18 November in Hobart. The five T20 internationals start at 8.15am UK time: Saturday 21 November in Melbourne, Tuesday 24 November on the Gold Coast, Friday 27 November in Brisbane, Sunday 29 November in Sydney and Wednesday 2 December in Canberra. Add one hour for Malta and two for South Africa.
Sources and method
Read on 4 November 2026 (Australia v England section on 6 November 2026). Dates and venues are from New Zealand Cricket's schedule as published by the ICC; local start times are from the ESPN fixture list, and the UK, Malta and South Africa times are our conversion. The Super Over wording is the ICC men's ODI playing conditions as quoted by Wisden. Settlement positions describe common practice among UK-licensed operators, not any single operator's terms. Worked examples are our own calculation. No operator is named and no price on a specific match appears on this page.
- ICC, New Zealand announce schedule for action-packed home summer (3 June 2026) — icc-cricket.com
- ESPN, India tour of New Zealand 2026/27: fixtures and results — espn.com.au
- Wisden, Did the umpires make a mistake in not playing a Super Over in the tied India-Sri Lanka ODI? (August 2024) — wisden.com
- ICC, Men's ODI match clause 13: innings — icc-cricket.com
- England and Wales Cricket Board, England Men white-ball tour of Australia fixtures announced (22 March 2026) — ecb.co.uk press release
18+. The ODIs start at 2am UK time and a Test runs for five days: set a budget for the series, not for each session, and do not chase a rain-voided bet with another. Deposit limits, time-outs and support are on our responsible gambling page.