In recent years, fantasy sports have grown exponentially in India, increasing spectators’ interest in professional leagues for various sports such as cricket, football, and kabaddi. India has the second-largest number of Internet users globally, with a majority of the population under the age of 35, making the fantasy sports industry great potential for the future. High-speed internet and affordable smartphone have made it easier and more convenient for fans to join the fantasy league and watch their favourite sports from anywhere.

Indians are passionate about sports in general and are crazy about cricket. Cricket has become a tradition, and it is why fantasy cricket has gained popularity so rapidly. It empowers the general public as an owner to choose their favourite cricket team. Users have the license to appoint their captain and deputy captain for the team, and hence, it gives them a sense of responsibility.

How does it work?

The best IPL fantasy app offers a variety of contexts, from free practice games to paid leagues. App users use their cricketing knowledge to select teams for upcoming matches from a group of real players. Each player is assigned a weightage called credit score based on their past performance. Users must choose players from both teams within the allocated credit budget to form their teams. The outcome is the result of the team’s performance selected by the user in the actual match.

How to win fantasy cricket like a pro?

Follow the below tips and tricks to set yourself apart from the rest and win a fantasy league like a pro. Here is the list:

• Choose an appropriate platform 

Selecting the right portal to play fantasy cricket is the key and it resolves many of your problems. Avoid playing on not-so-popular websites as it is risky to believe whether those sites are following the regulations put forth by the governing body and what steps they have taken for secured transactions.

Look for trustworthy platforms like Dream11 – the best IPL fantasy app, and invest there. Though your chances of winning early are doubtful, you will learn a lot from the pool of users as you can chat with other counterparts while playing the game.

1. Research in advance

Do not under look careful consideration of study about fantasy sports, especially when you are a beginner. It is the best way to increase your knowledge to select the best fantasy team. Here is what you should do:

1. Get the statistics of recent performances of the teams and individual players.
2. Know the head-on records.
3. Try to understand the teams’ venue analytics.
4. Pitch report – whether to choose batting or bowling first, etc.
5. Who is the best performer, performing position, etc.
6. Players’ rivalry on the field.

This research boosts your confidence and understanding of the game so you can better prepare to approach the match.

1. Choose the best players from both the teams

After thorough research, it is time to select the players for your fantasy league team. A key technique to succeed is focusing on choosing the right balanced team i.e., the right batsmen, bowlers, a wicket-keeper, and all-rounders. A fairly balanced squad can stand out in the competition and bring you more points.

1. Give preference to wicket-taking bowlers

If you have understood the fantasy points system, a bowler gets awarded more points per wicket than a batsman who has to score huge runs to be granted some extra points. For example; 1 run = 1 point whereas 1 wicket = 25 points. So, preference should be given to wicket-taking bowlers on both occasions i.e., powerplay and death-overs, and they can bring more points for you than batsmen.

1. Select all-rounders

Remember, all-rounders can contribute in both the innings with their batting and bowling. So, picking an all-rounder like Ravindra Jadeja can get you points in the fielding as well. Also, all-rounders are one of the best options for captain and vice-captain positions as well.

1. Join contests early

The contests will be open 2-3 days prior to the actual match. This will give you ample time to make permutations and combinations in your team and make changes if necessary. The last movement rush to update the team can be avoided.

So, join early and observe what your opponents are doing and make corrections accordingly.

1. Create multiple teams for a match

Another crucial fantasy league trick is to create multiple teams for a match. Also, you have the flexibility to enter the contest multiple times. Ensure the teams are different from one another, having different captains and vice-captains for each team. This way, your chance of winning a contest increases. If one team loses another team can get you points and bear the losses.

1. Focus on long-term strategies

Accept fantasy cricket as a long-term affair and accordingly make your plans for the game. There is no easy roadmap for success in fantasy sports. So, create game plans and procedures to approach a certain contest beforehand or for a certain period. Note down your investments against which matches. In this long-term strategy, a positive result is inevitable.

1. Save some reserve funds

A good investor never ventures all his money at once into anything. Similarly, do not invest more than 40-50% of your balance in any of the fantasy league contests. If things do not go well as expected, you should be having some reserve funds in the wallet to play and recover your losses.

Closing thoughts

As many players are entering the fantasy sports market, the competition is becoming extremely tough. So, knowing the winning strategies is crucial, and being ready to take calculated risks can get you higher rewards. So, play it smartly while applying some tips from the above article.