On this page
- Void or settled: the only distinction that matters
- Sky Exchange abandoned match: how match odds is treated
- DLS revised targets and the bookmaker block
- Session and fancy lines in a shortened match
- Suspended markets and where your funds sit
- Checking how each bet was settled
- What to ask the desk, and what to send
- Frequently asked questions
Few messages reach the desk faster than the ones that arrive when the covers come on. A Sky Exchange abandoned match raises the same three questions every time: is my bet void, what happened to the session line that was half done, and why has my balance not moved yet. This post answers those in order.
It is written for players who already know the three blocks on the match screen and have placed at least a few bets. If you have not read our page on Sky Exchange cricket markets, do that first, because everything below depends on knowing which block a bet sits in.
One warning before we start. Settlement follows the rule text attached to each market on your screen, not this page. We describe the usual pattern we see at the desk. Where a market's rules say something different, the rules win.
Void or settled: the only distinction that matters
Everything about rain comes down to one question for each bet: was it voided or was it settled? A void bet is cancelled. Whatever you staked, or whatever liability was held against a lay, comes back to your balance and your statement shows the bet with a zero result. A settled bet had a result applied to it. You won or you lost, and the amount in your balance reflects that.
The useful habit is to stop asking "what happens if it rains" as one question and start asking it per bet. A single match can leave you with a voided match odds back, a settled bookmaker bet and two session lines that went opposite ways. All of that is normal.
Sky Exchange abandoned match: how match odds is treated
Match odds is the exchange market: you backed or laid a team against other players. The typical rule is simple. If the match produces an official result, including one decided on a revised target, the market settles on that result. If the match ends with no result, the market is voided and everyone gets their stake and liability back.
That has a consequence people miss. A team can be well ahead when the rain arrives, the match can be called off, and the backer still gets nothing but their stake, because "ahead" is not a result. The reverse also happens. A team that was losing badly escapes with a void, and the player who laid them at a short price gets their liability returned instead of the win they were counting on.
A Test match adds the draw as a third selection. Rain that eats the last day often produces a draw, which is a result, and the market settles on it. Backers of the draw are paid; backers of either team lose. Our betting exchange explained guide covers how the three-way book works if that is unfamiliar.
DLS revised targets and the bookmaker block
When overs are reduced and a revised target is set, the match is still live and a result is still possible. For match odds nothing special happens: the market stays open, prices move to reflect the new target, and settlement follows the eventual winner. A revised target does not void anything by itself.
The bookmaker block sits below match odds and asks the same question, who wins, but it is a separate market with separate rules. On many panels it follows the same official result as match odds, including results on a revised target. Where it can differ is in the edge cases: a tie, a super over, or a no-result declared after a certain number of overs. Read its rule sheet on its own rather than assuming it copies match odds.
One practical point follows. A player who hedged a match odds position in the bookmaker block holds two bets under two rule texts, and rain can void one while the other settles. That is not an error.
Session and fancy lines in a shortened match
This is where most of the confusion lives, because a fancy line settles on a number from the scorecard rather than on who wins. Three situations cover nearly every case.
| State of the line when play stopped | Usual treatment |
|---|---|
| Overs already completed, figure known | Settled on that figure. Rain afterwards changes nothing. |
| Overs never bowled | Voided. Stake returned. |
| Part way through the covered overs | Depends on the rule text: some lines void, some settle on runs scored if a set share of the overs was bowled. |
The first row surprises people the most. A "6 over runs" line that closed at 51 runs is finished the moment the sixth over ends. A downpour in the eleventh over does not reopen it, and a later abandonment does not void it. If you lost that line, the loss stands. If you won it, the win stands too.
The third row is the one to ask the desk about before you bet, not after. Lines that cover a whole innings, such as total innings runs, are the usual example. Their rules may say the line is void unless a stated number of overs was bowled, or they may settle on the runs made if a revised target cuts the innings short. Both approaches are used, and only the text on your screen tells you which applies.
Suspended markets and where your funds sit
The moment rain stops play, most markets on the match suspend. Suspension is not settlement. Your bets are still open, prices are frozen, and you cannot add to a position or trade out of one. What you see in your account is the stake or liability still reserved as exposure, which is why the available balance looks lower than the total.
Nothing has left the platform during a suspension. Money reserved against an open bet is not a withdrawal and not a loss; it is simply held until the market reaches a decision. That decision comes in one of three forms: play resumes and the market reopens, an official result is declared and the market settles, or the match is called off and the market voids or settles per its rules.
The message we see most during a rain break is "my balance has dropped, where is my money?" In almost every case the answer is that it is sitting as exposure against bets that have not settled yet. Open the exposure or open bets view and you will see it listed. If a bet shows there, the money is accounted for.
Checking how each bet was settled
Once the market closes, each bet moves from open bets to the statement or bet history. For every bet check three things: the status word (won, lost or void), the amount, and the time it settled. A void shows a zero result with your stake returned. A settled bet shows a profit or a loss against the stake you placed.
Work through the match block by block. Match odds first, then bookmaker, then each fancy line one at a time. Compare the status word with what the rule text said should happen. For a completed session line, the figure on the official scorecard should match the number the line settled on.
If the money is heading out afterwards, the Sky Exchange withdrawal guide explains the request steps; settled funds are available in the usual way, and voided stakes simply return to the balance you already had.
What to ask the desk, and what to send
If a settlement looks wrong, the desk can raise it, but only with the right details. Send the match name, the market name exactly as it appears on screen, the bet ID from your statement, and one sentence on what you expected and why. A screenshot of the rule text helps if you took one before the bet.
What the desk cannot do is change a settlement that followed the market rules. We can confirm which rule applied and read it with you, and we can chase a bet that is still showing open long after the official decision. We cannot void a bet because the weather turned.
The best time to ask about a Sky Exchange abandoned match is before the first ball, when the forecast is poor and you can still choose which lines to leave alone. A quick question in the chat about how a specific line handles reduced overs costs nothing. The same question after the market has closed changes nothing. If you want to protect a position before the weather decides it, our post on cash out on an exchange shows how to trade out while the market is still open.