Cricket is one of the most popular sports in India. The sport has been followed enthusiastically by the people of India over the last several decades. The popularity of cricket is unmatchable as compared to other sports in India as the followers of the sport have been growing in each and every day. Moreover, Cricket is often considered as an ‘unofficial’ national sport of India. The sport is followed by people across all the age groups. Due to the rising popularity of cricket in India, the sport has grown vastly in the segment of fantasy sports. The concept of fantasy sports emerged in western countries, especially in the USA, but it gradually made its way to India and became popular.
Fantasy Cricket is a phenomenon that came into existence over a decade ago. However, it has become popular among the people of India in the last few years. During the lockdown period in 2020, there has been a significant increase in the number of users playing fantasy cricket. Over the past couple of years, people have become more inclined towards Fantasy Gaming, especially cricket. Fantasy Cricket is a platform for the cricket enthusiasts to create their own team of eleven players and earn exciting cash rewards by defeating the opponents. Moreover, users can showcase their skills and understanding about the game by playing fantasy cricket.
Fantasy cricket is a game of skill as it requires a lot of mental application while picking up the players in your team. Also, you need to pick a strong team that helps you defeat the opponents in the contest or league. In such a case, it is important to take certain things into consideration before making a team in Fantasy Cricket.
Here are six things need to be considered before picking a team in Fantasy Cricket
- Players’ Current Form: When you pick up your team for fantasy cricket, you need to keep aside your personal biases and select objectively. The users must pick players in their Fantasy Playing XI based on performance in recent matches rather than looking at overall stats. Oftentimes, the users select their players by looking at their record performance over time instead of considering their recent performances. It is advisable to choose the players based on their current form and recent outings. Moreover, users must keep themselves updated about the latest developments and news on players in the cricket arena, so it will help you make informed decisions.
- Picking Openers: While you select a team for your Fantasy Cricket, make sure to pick in-form openers in your team. Openers help the team to pile runs at the top in the beginning overs of the match. Choosing a better top-order and middle-order batsmen increases the chances of winning the contest or league in Fantasy Cricket. The top three batters in the line-up often scores runs heavily, which will give you more points in Fantasy Cricket. Apart from top-order batsmen, the middle-order batters not just score runs but form partnerships and deliver their best from tough situations.
- Selecting Bowlers: Randomly picking up the bowlers in your Fantasy team will lead to losing the match as well as the money. One has to be careful and meticulous while selecting the bowlers. Just like batters, bowlers will play a crucial role in helping you win the maximum points. The bowlers, especially the wicket-takers are more likely to help you succeed in the league or the contest. Therefore, you need to pick at least three pacers and a spinner in your team who could take wickets and help you earn points.
- Selecting Captain and Vice-Captain: The most important factor in winning the league or a contest is the choice of captain and vice-captain in your Fantasy team. Pick a captain and vice-captain among the 11 players in your team who have performed well in recent matches, whether it could be a batter or bowler. If you decide wisely, then it will definitely work in your favour as captain and vice-captain make twice and one and half times the points, respectively, of what other players in the team earn.
- Checkout Weather Condition and Pitch: Oftentimes, users failed to examine the weather condition and pitch. One of the most important factors before picking the players for your Fantasy team is to have knowledge about the field and climatic conditions. Because the players perform based on the weather conditions. For example, if it’s a windy day, then one should keep the good performers and deliver their best in such a condition. Similarly, if a pitch is dry, then you will benefit from having more spinners in the team.
- Strike A Balance: While picking the players for your fantasy cricket team, you will have to strike balance in the team rather than focusing on one unit or department. For example, Instead of focusing on batsmen, it would be beneficial to have an adequate number of bowlers in the team and therefore, striking a balance in the team. The victory in the match results from the collective performance of batters and bowlers. Additionally, if batsmen failed to deliver their best then bowlers might do a trick in helping the team win the match. Also, it is also good to have a couple of all-rounders in your team who can deliver with bat and bowl.
