The concept of fantasy cricket league is relatively new, but it has caught on like lightning, especially among young people. Although the history of cricket dates back to the 15th century, fantasy cricket only emerged at the turn of the century and has been gaining importance in recent years. This form of virtual cricket involves strategy and planning, with users selecting 11 players from upcoming matches and choosing their ‘dream team’.
The 11 cricketers selected are a good mix of wicket keepers, batsmen, all-rounders and bowlers, and the score you get will depend on how well the selected players perform in the game itself. Every wicket, every score, every duck, every six, every catch or every stump of a real player will affect your team’s final ranking.
But how has the game of Fantasy Cricket changed the view of cricket for a generation?
Exciting cricket
Most people would agree that not every cricket match played around the world is meaningful. Few people watch cricket day in and day out, except for the top teams. Therefore, most local teams around the world have almost no fans, but that is changing thanks to fantasy cricket. Fans are digging into the stats of unknown players and investing large sums in the game all over the world. Not only does this give traction to the cricketers playing, but it helps them gain attention if they are consistent, whether it is the conditions on the field or the opponents.
Fantasy cricket also keeps fans interested in every ball in play. The maiden ball may not excite the spectators, but if that bowler is on his team, the fantasy players will be excited because they will get points for the maiden ball.
Increase the rating of matches around the world
Fantasy sports cricket helps fans stay more in touch with the game, which helps the consumption of sports games in no small way. As fantasy sports users invest heavily in their teams, they not only watch matches, even the minor ones, but also like to explore newer sports. The more sports fans watch sports, the more they engage and play fantasy. The more teams they create in fantasy cricket, the more time they spend watching the sport.
According to the study ‘Fantasy Sports – Measuring its impact on actual sports consumption, FIFS and Neilsen’, approximately 37% of fantasy sports users watch at least six to eight hours of real sports per week to keep up to date with the events and performances of players around the world.
The study also added that 62% of fans watch various games even when their favourite club or country is not playing on the pitch.
Engaging young people
Although Test cricket is the holy grail of the sport, it has been labelled as “boring” and ODI matches are slowly paving the way for T20 and T10 matches. Even as investors and administrators are desperate to maintain the tradition of five-day and fifty-day matches, young fans cannot afford to spend hours glued to a single match.
Fantasy cricket, however, is slowly changing this trend. Fans of this era are not only taking a keen interest in the game but are also getting more involved in it. Do you also want to play fantasy cricket and win real cash? By forming teams using various fantasy apps and watching the players, youngsters are slowly getting acquainted with the appeal of cricket.
