Free cricket API for live scores and scorecards

What “free” covers

The free live cricket API is the same product as the paid cricket data API, with a smaller request allowance. You are not pointed at a toy dataset. Calls hit the live match list and the match-detail routes.

• Register and copy one API token from the dashboard.
• Call GET /api/v1/cricket/matches/live to list matches in play.
• Call /scorecard/{matchId} and /commentary/{matchId} for a single match.
• Stay inside the free monthly quota. When you pass it, the API returns a rate or quota error instead of a partial score.

The full endpoint map is on the cricket API page. Current limits and paid prices are only listed on pricing so this page does not drift out of date.

Get the key

1. Open the registration form and create an account.
2. Choose the free plan. No card is required for that plan.
3. Copy the token from the dashboard. Treat it like a password.
4. Send Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN from your server.

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  https://cricketliveapi.com/api/v1/cricket/matches/live

Response you should code against

Free and paid responses share the same envelope. Check status before you read data.

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "matches": [
      {
        "match_id": 92411,
        "teams": "India vs Australia",
        "status": "live",
        "score": "187/3 (18.4 ov)"
      }
    ]
  }
}

A free cricket score API fails in predictable ways. Show the message, do not invent a score.

{
  "status": "error",
  "message": "Monthly quota exceeded."
}

Make the free quota last

A homepage widget that polls every second will burn a free plan during one IPL evening. Poll live matches every few seconds, and only request the scorecard when someone opens that match.

• Cache the live list for 3–5 seconds at your server.
• Do not call commentary for every match on the list. Call it for the match on screen.
• Keep the last successful JSON and serve it if the next call returns 429 or 5xx.
• Never ship the token in a mobile app binary or a public JavaScript file. Proxy through your backend.

Python example that caches in memory for five seconds:

import time, requests
_cache = {"at": 0, "body": None}

def live_matches(token):
    if _cache["body"] and time.time() - _cache["at"] < 5:
        return _cache["body"]
    res = requests.get(
        "https://cricketliveapi.com/api/v1/cricket/matches/live",
        headers={"Authorization": "Bearer " + token, "Accept": "application/json"},
        timeout=8,
    )
    body = res.json()
    if res.status_code == 200 and body.get("status") == "success":
        _cache["at"] = time.time()
        _cache["body"] = body
        return body
    raise RuntimeError(body.get("message") or "request failed")

When to leave the free plan

Stay on free while you are building, demoing, or running a low-traffic side project. Upgrade when a public site polls through a match day, when you need fantasy points for every player, or when a 429 starts replacing live scores. Compare allowances on current pricing rather than copying a number from an old blog post.

If the product is a single running score line, the live line API page shows the fields that line needs. Fantasy contests should use the fantasy cricket API, which is a different set of routes.

Questions

Is the free cricket API really free?

Yes. Registration does not ask for a card for the free plan. The limit is the request quota, not a timed trial that deletes your key.

Does the free live cricket API include ball-by-ball commentary?

Yes. Commentary is /api/v1/cricket/commentary/{matchId}. Each call counts toward the same quota as a live-list call.

Where is the rest of the reference?

Endpoint paths, headers, and error shapes are summarized on the cricket API page. Logged-in users can open the full API docs.