The Appinop Blog

Fantasy Cricket comes from the genre of Fantasy Sports that has captured the imagination of billions around the world. Fantasy Sports is where anybody can be a fantasy team manager and create their own team. Depending on the performance of the actual players in real life, they can win cash rewards solely based on their prediction skills, their knowledge of the game, and its recent statistics. Fantasy Cricket also operates along the same lines where the focus is on the Cricket players and big matches such as the IPL, ISL, and the T20 World Cup. Therefore, during a live match, two premier leagues run side-by-side, the real and the virtual.

The following points shed light on the reasons behind the growing popularity of Fantasy Cricket app solution in India:

Charms of Cricket

Indians and cricket almost go hand-in-hand. Ever since the game was introduced, Indians have played it, mastered it, and come out as winners at the World Cup and ICC tournaments. Even among congested cities, it is a common sight to see the game being played by children in the gullies. Old people could also be spotted playing it in the parks. It is a game which is adored by one and all. Despite the popularity of other sports such as Football, Kabaddi, Basketball, and Tennis, it still remains the most-watched sport in the country.

The hobby of Informed Guess Making

There is no short of Indians who enthusiastically engage in making predictions of the game. Cricket gurus and pundits who revel at analyzing each game and its players have always been around. Doling out well-informed opinions as to who played well or who could have done better and in what way has always been their favorite hobby. Fantasy Cricket provides a platform to make use of that hobby and actively engage with the players. Their guesses are no longer confined by the four walls of the room or to their local cricket team. Their opinions get out there, compete with loads of other people’s predictions, and provide the possibility for a handsome reward. In Fantasy Cricket, players are assigned a ‘credit’ according to their past performance and appearances. Additionally, there are different prediction websites that offer the latest statistics and suggestions, which can easily one-up any user’s guessing game.

Creation of Dream Team

Fantasy Cricket provides the user a complete autonomy over making one’s team based on personal preferences with only a few limited restrictions. Most of the Fantasy Cricket platforms require the user to choose 5 Batsmen, 3 Bowlers, 2 all-rounders, and 1 wicket-keeper. But depending on the prerequisites of the site, which can differ across various platforms, it could vary. What’s more, the user can choose the Captain and the Vice-Captain, where the Captain’s points are doubled, and the Vice Captain’s points get multiplied by 1.5. Bonus points are also added for the number of fours and sixes, better milestones, and strike rates. Although the points system differs in various platforms, they more-or-less work around the same principles.

The advent of Technology

The advent of technology and high-speed internet has made it possible for people to conceive Fantasy Sports in the first place. The gaming industry has never been in a better position with its plethora of games and virtual reality options. Thus, with the ever-improving developer tools, Fantasy Cricket websites and applications have also been hugely successful in providing an enhanced experience of the game, especially with 3D tabs and the option to operate from any device. So, it is no longer just passive watching and commenting; it is active involvement in an exciting interface with enhanced usability that could give a huge adrenaline rush and ensure that the user is having fun.

Endorsement of Big Names

With the tie-ups of big players as their brand ambassadors, fantasy sports gaming platforms have been getting a lot of traction. Dream 11, the top-ranked platform with over 75 million user base, has the title sponsorship rights for the IPL and the BCCI. MyTeam11’s brand ambassador is Virender Sehwag. The face of My11Circle is none other than Sourav Ganguly, the present BCCI president, and the users get the opportunity to challenge Ganguly’s fantasy team. The ambassador for BalleBaazi is Yuvraj Singh. The players’ active role has a huge significance in promoting the sites and gaining users who come from their fan base.

The legality of the Practice

When it comes to betting games, e-sports, and fantasy sports, there arises a huge question on legality. India being a country which is against gambling (except for in Goa and Sikkim), it is natural that people want to risk unlawful practices that could either land them or their favorite players into trouble. However, the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming has deemed Fantasy Cricket as absolutely legal. As stated in the Supreme Court’s judgment, they are classified under “Game of Skills” where the outcome is dependent on the “relative knowledge, training, attention, experience, and adroitness of the participants.” Aside from some particular state laws in Odisha, Assam, Sikkim, Nagaland, and Telangana, which might state otherwise, Fantasy Cricket is completely acceptable in all the other states of India. The argument provided for legality is that it does not rest on any actual wins or losses of the teams, but only on the performance of the individual players.

Earning of Money

For an exchange of a Contest Entry Amount (CEA), the amount of money one can earn from prizes won in Fantasy Cricket is a hefty sum. There are different kinds of contests on sites like the ‘Head-to-Head’ where the user has a 50% chance of winning; the ‘Winner takes All,.’ Here, the players pool their CEA with only one person emerging as the winner who takes the prize. Aside from these, there are Medium contests where more users can participate, thereby lessening the chances for winning the top prizes. There are also the Grand Leagues or the Mega contests, where the chances of winning are little to none, but the grand prize is enormous. With daily involvement and sharp analytical skills, there really is no limit to how much one can earn through Fantasy Cricket on a regular basis.

With the fan base for Fantasy Cricket growing at an amazing pace, the market has been generating immense revenues through Fantasy Cricket platforms. Some of the popular fantasy sports sites include Dream 11, BalleBaazi, MyTeam11, My11Circle, Halaplay, 11Wickets, and lots more. Even when the pandemic halted every live sporting event, sites such as MyTeam11 kept the users engaged with quiz competitions on cricket and other popular items, where they got a chance to win money for correct answers. The industry is now pinning their hopes on IPL and T20, but the user base is expected to reach new heights in the coming years.