Best Sports to Bet on During the Cricket Offseason

Cricket fans know the agony of the offseason. The stadiums go silent, the sound of leather on willow fades, and weekends suddenly feel… pointless. What now? Gardening? Meditation? Please. Just because cricket is on a break doesn’t mean your betting has to suffer. 

While football and basketball are the obvious choices, let’s not be basic. There are plenty of wild, under-the-radar sports that can keep the adrenaline and your bankroll flowing, betstar offers a buffet of betting options beyond the usual suspects, so embrace the chaos.

From high-speed ice hockey to surprisingly intense kabaddi, the offseason is the perfect excuse to expand your betting horizons. Want to take a break? Not happening.

Ice Hockey—Another Quick-Step Sport

When cricket goes into hibernation, ice hockey is in full swing, especially in North America and Europe. The NHL, KHL, and other leagues offer daily matches, making it a paradise for bettors who crave constant action.

After weeks of watching a cricket ball trickle to the boundary, the sheer violence of ice hockey feels like a necessary detox. One of the biggest advantages of betting on hockey? Statistical betting. Some underrated but potentially profitable bets include:

• Total Saves by a Goalie – Forecasting the number of saves that a certain goalie will accomplish.
• Shots on Goal – Betting on a guy trying to score rather than actually scoring. Fun.
• Faceoff Wins – Ever wanted to gamble on who’s best at aggressively squatting over a puck? Now you can.
• Power Play Goals – Hoping a team takes advantage of their opponent’s bad behavior. Tactical and satisfying.

Let’s look at the main betting markets in ice hockey:

Unlike cricket, where you have an entire afternoon to analyze every ball, hockey is pure chaos. A team can be down 3-0 in the first period and still come back to win. Good luck predicting that.

Here are some tournaments you can bet on while cricket is taking a break:

1. NHL (National Hockey League) – The biggest, baddest, most dramatic league, running from October to April.
2. KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) – Where Russian teams prove that defense is just a suggestion.
3. SHL (Swedish Hockey League) – Home to elite talent and oddly disciplined gameplay.

So if you’re missing the slow, methodical grind of cricket, hockey offers… well, the complete opposite. Who needs a logical, predictable sport when you can have one where a game-winning goal and a fistfight happen within the same minute?

Ultimate Underdog in Betting: Table Tennis

Few people take table tennis seriously as a betting sport, which is hilarious considering how often it turns into an absolute goldmine. While mainstream sports are flooded with overanalyzed betting lines and painfully predictable favorites, table tennis sits quietly in the background, waiting for sharp bettors to cash in. 

• Non-Stop Action – Matches last 15-30 minutes, meaning high betting volume in a short time.
• Live Betting Dominates – Odds shift rapidly, making it perfect for sharp bettors.
• Individual Sport – No team dynamics to analyze, just player form and style.
• Lower Public Interest – Which is great, because it means fewer clueless casual bettors ruining the odds.

Most sportsbooks as betstar focus on China, Russia, and Germany, where table tennis isn’t just a sport but practically a national obsession. Bettors who actually bother researching the lesser-known players can exploit ridiculous odds gaps, especially when the bookmakers get lazy with the lines.

Kabaddi

If you’ve never considered kabaddi for betting, you’re seriously missing out. This South Asian sport is what happens when wrestling, tag, and pure chaos have a baby. 

Two teams take turns sending a single player—the raider—into enemy territory, where he has mere seconds to tag opponents, avoid getting tackled, and make it back to safety without getting flattened. 

And here’s the kicker: all of this happens while he holds his breath. If that doesn’t scream betting potential, nothing does.

Originally a backyard sport in India, kabaddi is now an international phenomenon, thanks to the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). With fast-paced action, unpredictable momentum shifts, and a mix of physical and strategic gameplay. This sport become a prime option for bettors looking for something more exciting than another dull football draw. 

Some really helpful tips for betting on kabaddi:

1. Look at Player Form, Not Just Teams – In a sport this fast-paced, a single star raider can flip a match. Betting on the right player is just as important as betting on the right team.
2. Live Betting is King – Odds swing like crazy in kabaddi. A team that looks dominant can get wiped out in minutes, making in-play betting a goldmine (if you don’t blink and miss it).
3. Understand the ‘Super Tackle’ Effect – When a team is down to just three defenders, they get extra points for tackling the raider. This can shift the match dynamic instantly and flip the odds in seconds.
4. Mind the Home Advantage – Some teams thrive in front of their home crowd, while others crumble. Always check performance history in different stadiums.
5. PKL Trends Matter – Since the league is relatively new, recent trends play a bigger role in determining outcomes than decades-old stats. Don’t fall into the trap of betting based on past seasons.

While everyone else is busy betting on predictable football outcomes or going back and forth about NBA point spreads, kabaddi brings a whole new level of thrills with its fast-paced, high-stakes betting opportunities. Just be brave and take the plunge.

Conclusion

The cricket offseason doesn’t have to be a tragic, soul-crushing void where you actually consider not betting. Ice hockey is basically chaos on ice, table tennis moves so fast you’ll question reality, and kabaddi? Well, it’s a full-contact brawl disguised as a sport. 

Why limit yourself to the same old football and basketball bets when you could be cashing in on faceoffs, rapid-fire rallies, and breathless raiders? So, unless you enjoy boredom, dive into these sports and keep the thrill (and your bankroll) alive.