The craze for cricket in India depicts the madness of sports lovers and fans. However, today, when the lockdown has been relaxed, the cricket fans still have to remain under multiple Covid -19 restrictions. It is because the world is yet not free from the pandemic entirely. Therefore, there is no visit to the stadium or no leagues being undertaken lately. As a result, the only way for cricket lovers to stay connected with their favorite sports is through the virtual platform.
However, given the current scenario, multiple gaming platforms have evolved to help sports lovers connect and stay in touch with their favorite games through their fantasy versions. While there are many sports available in the fantasy genre, including football, kabaddi, etc., fantasy cricket is the game that is the most sought-after among youngsters and mid-aged cricket lovers.
According to a KPMG survey, among the people who have started playing fantasy sports during the lockdown, 77% have chosen fantasy cricket as their first choice. As the number of people associating with fantasy cricket is more, they need to be aware of the tips and tricks that would help them win the matches they play. Moreover, it’s the season of ODIs, and more and more people are looking forward to playing the fantasy version of the upcoming leagues online.
If you are among those who want to play fantasy cricket online, here are seven simple strategies that you should consider and follow to win the ICC ODI T20 fantasy cricket league.
Look for consistency
One of the most crucial fantasy cricket tips is to focus on consistency. Most of the time, it has been seen that fantasy gamers select players keeping in mind their performance in the last match. However, there are instances where a player might play perfectly but then record zero runs in the very next game. Therefore, it is essential to be alert concerning the performance of the cricketers. Instead of focusing on how they performed in the last few matches, you should consider how consistent they maintain their average run rate.
Choosing the players whose performance does not fluctuate hugely is highly recommended. Have players showing consistency in their performance on the pitch in the team.
Check favourability
Fantasy cricket is not like a traditional online cricket game where you had to tap the bat and hit the ball by tapping the screen. Instead, it is the game where you don’t have to grip the bat or bowl; still, you earn points. How? Your chosen players perform, and you get points based on their performance. But as a gamer, you have to ensure the conditions are favorable enough for the type of players you will choose.
Thus, you should study the pitch and weather conditions beforehand. Based on the type of surroundings, you should select your players.
Avoid benched players
Have you observed the latest matches that took place? If no, it is recommended for you to go through the recap episodes or online videos. Check the players who were not included in the eleven players who played. While selecting the players, make sure they are among those who played the games and were not only watching the match sitting on a bench. If you choose someone among the benched players, expect them to be a mere audience in the upcoming ODIs you are collaborating with. In short, no performance, no points.
Choose a captain and vice-captain carefully.
While all other players will help you earn points equal to the runs they make, the story is different for captains and vice-captains. When a captain and vice-captain perform well, you multiply their points by 2 and 1.5, respectively. Hence, be careful in choosing the captain and vice-captain. If they are reasonable, your points will automatically increase, making you the winner. It is recommended to select the best players as captains and vice-captains. Have someone consistent or better than others as captain and vice-captain.
Select the order
When you are the decision-maker, and you have the liberty to choose the order of the players to hit the pitch, what else would you want? However, if you are among those who randomly place the players in the queue to perform, this freedom of choosing the order is not going to help.
Thus, it is expected that you will take advantage of this liberty and choose the order carefully. Make sure you have the best batsmen and bowlers hitting the pitch first, followed by those who are average performers, and so on. It is one of the essential strategies to apply to ensure a win. If the ones who perform average or low are brought to the field first, the morale of the rest of the players might get down if they do not perform well. And it will lead to unexpectedly negative results. So, be careful.
Have a balanced team
The most common mistake that fantasy gamers make is they ultimately emphasize having great batsmen. However, they forget that bowlers and fielders are also required to win the game of cricket. As a result, they become prone to losing the leagues. It is recommended to every fantasy player to have a balanced team with both good batsmen and bowlers. The performance of all of them will add to the points you will be earning. Thus, avoid making such mistakes.
Be ready to take risks.
Many times, it has been observed that the players who are well-experienced and have performed well in the last few matches leave no significant mark when you choose them. The reason could be many, including their outdated playing techniques. Thus, sometimes, you should take risks and consider choosing the new and fresh talents in the team. Among multiple experienced ones, you can surely afford to have one fresh player with good previous records. So, go for it, and you never know your hidden cards might prove the strongest among the rest.
Following the seven strategies mentioned above will surely help you win different cricket leagues in the fantasy version of cricket offered on various online gaming websites and applications.