T20 match guide: phases, match-ups and momentum

Field restrictions push the scoring rate up, and the chance of wickets rises with it. Prices tend to overreact to a single expensive over in this phase. Keep stakes small in the first six overs, and wait for markets to settle after an early wicket.

Spin and containment take over. Teams that keep wickets in hand through this phase are best placed for the death overs. Prices usually move more slowly in overs 7 to 15, and wickets in this phase decide how hard a team can attack later.

Two set batters against a part-time bowler can change a chase in three overs. The biggest price swings of the match happen here. Use your smallest stakes in overs 16 to 20, and check your open bets after every confirm.

Left-arm spin against a line-up full of right-handers, or a power hitter facing slower balls, can shift expected runs more than overall form. Check who is bowling the next overs before betting on a session, not just the batting side's form.

In men's T20 internationals, only two fielders may stand outside the 30-yard circle during the six powerplay overs. From the seventh over, up to five can go out. That's why boundaries come easily early and the scoring rate usually dips once the field spreads. Leagues can tweak the details.

Two numbers matter more than the score: the required rate and wickets in hand. Needing 60 off 36 balls with seven wickets left is very different from the same target with three left. Prices that react only to the required rate often misjudge chases with a long batting order intact.

• Wickets in hand decide how freely a side can attack at the death.
• A set batter on 40 is worth more than a new batter.
• Overs left for the opposition's best bowlers tell you how hard the last phase will be.

Boundary size, pitch pace and evening dew all shift what a par score looks like. A flat pitch with short boundaries can make 190 chaseable, while a slow turning surface can make 150 a good total. Compare the first-innings score with that venue's usual range.

Decide before the match which phase you understand best and bet there, rather than reacting to every over. Powerplay prices swing on single boundaries, so small stakes suit that phase. The session guide shows how phase markets settle. Settle on one phase.