The COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent lockdown have also been favorable to the mobile gaming industry and one game that attracted the cricket fanatics is the fantasy cricket game. This game has attained popularity among people of all ages and it is quite interesting to play. Since cricket is a religion in India according to The Economic Times, people are loving the opportunity to showcase their passion and love for the game on an online platform. 

But, before jumping into how you can play this game, let’s answer the question – what is fantasy cricket?

What is fantasy cricket?

The fantasy cricket game belongs to the fantasy sports genre in which you have to create a virtual team of real cricket players. The points are scored according to the performance of the players in real-life matches. Unlike the real game of cricket, you can create your virtual cricket team by choosing from a pool of twenty-five to thirty players. 

Also, in the real game, when the line-up for Team India is being selected, Virat Kohli cannot be dropped out, no matter how bad his performance was in the previous matches. However, in fantasy cricket, you can drop or pick a team member as per the performance or requirement of the players in their real-life previous matches. 

Even though this is an online game, you still have to comply with the actual rules of cricket. 

In most fantasy cricket apps, you need to pick at least 3 bowlers, 3 batsmen, and 1 wicket-keeper. You may even find apps offering a few alterations when it comes to selecting players. 

The task of choosing a captain, as well as, a vice-captain for your virtual cricket team is an important one. As per the traditional format, you can earn a bonus from them. You can get 1.5x points for your vice-captain and 2x points for your captain.

Once your virtual cricket team is ready, you can join a contest. Fantasy cricket games offer many contests like Grand League matches and Head-to-Head contests. If you’re not confident enough to play contests and compete with other fantasy cricket players in the leaderboard, you can begin by participating in practice contests to gain experience and become an experienced fantasy cricket player.

There are also fantasy cricket apps that offer skill-based tournaments and cricket matches like ODIs and T20s. You can click here to play and be a part of any of the championships or series. One such cricket fantasy app that you can check out is MPL. 

Now, take a look at a beginner’s guide to how you can start playing fantasy cricket. 

A step-by-step guide to playing fantasy cricket 

1. Download the game and get registered 

The first step to play a fantasy cricket game is to download the app and sign up using email, username, and password. Regardless of whether you are using an Android or iOS device, you’ll get an app for your operating system. 

 2. Select a tournament or match

With fantasy cricket games, you can select from a broad list of single matches, series, and championships. To participate, you can simply click on the match of your choice. Moreover, you will find that the tournament and matches in the app are grouped under current and upcoming. For the upcoming matches, you can get information by clicking on them. But, these matches are not open for a user participating yet. As for the current matches, you can register yourself and be a part of them. 

When participating in a match, make sure to keep a watchful eye on the timer. You have to participate within the mentioned time. Once the timer runs out, the match won’t be available for user participation. 

3. Choose the team players and create your virtual cricket team 

Now that you have selected a match to participate in, you need to create your virtual cricket team. When creating a team, you have to focus on winning the match and accordingly select players to fulfill that criteria. It is crucial that you have a mixed combination of players in your team – bowlers, wicket-keepers, batsmen, and all-rounders. Then, you have to nominate your captain, along with a vice-captain. 

Once you have finished selecting the players for your team, remember to save your team in the app. 

One pro tip when creating your virtual cricket team is to keep in mind the pitch report of your match. There are broadly three types of pitch that can affect your game – green, dusty and flat. Flat pitches are batting-friendly, dusty pitches favor spin bowlers and green pitches favor seam bowlers. So, you have to choose the players accordingly. For instance, Hardik Pandya and Chris Gayle are dangerously good in flat pitches while Imran Tahir and Kuldeep Yadav are deadly in dusty pitches. Dale Steyn and Pat Cummins shine in green pitches. 

4. Create a batting order 

When participating in a fantasy cricket contest, you need to set a batting order. This is also a crucial task and can push you toward winning the match. You can move the players up the batting order who have good batting performance. You can move the ballers down the batting order to make sure that batsmen face more balls to score a lot of points. 

5. Reshuffle your batting order or substitute a player 

In the middle of a live match when your team isn’t performing well, you have the option of reshuffling the batting order to improve your team’s batting. You can also substitute one of your players after you’ve understood the strategy of your opponent. This means that if your team has more batsmen and fewer ballers, you can substitute one batsman for a baller. 

Conclusion

Fantasy cricket game is one of the most adrenaline-rushing online games that you can play to score bigger points and showcase your love for the cricket game. Also, you get to develop strategy and skills as you participate in contests and leagues. So, follow the guide and start your journey into the world of fantasy cricket.