Is fantasy cricket the next big betting thing?

With advances in technology, fantasy cricket has emerged as the latest trend as fans seek for new ways to enjoy their favourite sport

Cricket has one of the richest histories among world sports yet it continues to evolve. It has a history going back to 1598 and today boasts over 2.5 billion fans. Like any popular sport, cricket has undergone numerous changes to make it more exciting.

With advances in technology, fantasy cricket has emerged as the latest trend as fans seek for new ways to enjoy their favourite sport. This, together with live cricket betting, is one of the latest innovations that cricket fans can experience.

The Fantasy Sports Genre in Brief

The fantasy sports genre dates back to the 1960s and today encompasses almost every kind of sport. Today, it has evolved into a multi-billion industry. With cricket’s growing popularity across the globe, it was only a matter of time before fantasy cricket caught on.

In fantasy sports, fans from imaginary or virtual teams of real players of a specific professional sport. The teams formed then compete in a fantasy league. Points and wins are determined by how the participant’s virtual player selections perform in real live games.

In most cases, fantasy sports competitions allow players to win money. Players can join competitions in particular sports while the sports fans can also place bets on these virtual teams. It adds to the fun and thrill of following a specific sport.

With the popularity of betting across all sports, fantasy sports offers another avenue for fans to win. Players can win prize money from their teams while others can bet on the best fantasy teams in the virtual competitions.

What is Fantasy Cricket?

Over the last two decades, cricket has grown in popularity across the globe. The availability of games on television, online platforms and live streaming and increased betting activities have seen growing interest in the sport.

Fantasy cricket is an online game in which fans can create a virtual team of real cricket players. These players earn points depending on how they perform in real-life cricket matches. It is the latest trend in a fantasy sport.

A cricket fan can field a team of fielders, batsman, bowlers and all-rounders from all different teams. The idea is to have the most reliable team based on how these players have been performing recently. For cricket fans, this is a dream opportunity to field the strongest cricketers in the same team.

While different fantasy game variations have unique rules, teams follow the general formations in cricket formats. Players in a fantasy cricket team win and lose points based on their real performances as leagues continue.

Some of the things affecting a player’s scoring include runs, run rate, number of runs, wickets, stumps and ducks and catches. As the real cricket matches continue, players in fantasy teams accumulate points over the season or the predetermined period.

The team with the best points after a season or the agreed period emerges the winner in a fantasy cricket league. In most cases, there are cash prizes for the players who created the winning teams.

The Thrill of Fantasy Cricket

A fantasy cricket team, for instance, can include the best players from different leagues and countries. Players can now form teams with cricket superstars such as Virat Kohli (India), Rohit Sharma (India), Ben Stokes (England), Babar Azam (Pakistan), Joe Root (England),  Kane Williamson (NZ), Aaron Finch (Australia), Neil Wagner (South Africa) among others.

Seeing these players in the same team can never happen, but with fantasy cricket, everything is now possible. Cricket fans from across the globe can now have more other than just watching matches. Picking a fantasy cricket team is an exciting affair.

Like real-life managers, fantasy cricket managers have resources at their disposal to find the best batsman, bowler, all-rounder, and wicket-keeper. Each player has a price tag based on quality, and it is a tricky game of balancing resources to get the best quality in the team.

The best part in fantasy cricket comes in competitions as players pit their teams against each other. Managing the team throughout a season adds to the fan. Most fantasy league formats give managers the powers to make changes such as dropping non-performing players. By keeping a close watch over real-life cricket matches, it’s possible to know the best picks for a fantasy team.

There’s more than the thrill of fantasy cricket in this trend. With more cricket fans now online, this is an interactive way to get them engaged in the sport they love. It is an innovative way to target the younger generation. For the longest time, cricket has appealed to the older generation, and fantasy cricket seeks to change this.

The Next Big Thing in Cricket Betting? 

Fantasy cricket has opened another avenue for cricket betting. Fans can now have more fun away from betting on cricket matches. The fantasy teams not only offer dream partnerships but also offer cricket fans new betting opportunities. Without a doubt, this is the next big thing in cricket betting.