For all cricket enthusiasts who hit the stadiums to enjoy a live match or sit glued to their TV screens, predicting the flow of the game, merely watching a match isn’t satisfactory enough. With the 11th season of the IPL in full blown action mode, fantasy cricket apps are fast gaining popularity among people, with over 20 million people playing these games. In fact, it’s not odd to find fans playing their own teams on apps even as the game is live on TV! Apps like Dream11 and MyTeam11 are like a paradise for cricket lovers, as they get to make their own “dream team” and earn points and money based on how the players they root for perform in the actual match! We spoke to cricket lovers across Bengaluru who play fantasy cricket and here is what they had to say!
Making the game interesting!
“I use the official IPL app, which has over 10 million downloads. I choose Virat Kohli and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar because they assure points. I think this is good for the sport as a whole because it helps gain popularity among the public,” says Rahul Krishnan, a student from Christ University. Harsh Gupta, St Joseph’s College, says “It enhances the experience if the game and creators should make this game more user friendly and attract more IPL fanatics!”
These virtual platforms offer an easy way to make money and there are people who have won over Rs 35 lakh through such apps!
“I use Dream11. I usually select team captains and vice captains because they are the best among the players. I keep winning and losing but till date I’ve won around Rs 15,000!”, says Sumanth, a student of Christ University. Jeevan Shekar, a student of Economics at Christ University says, “I just started out, and won Rs 10 but I’m hoping to win much more!”
It is a dream come true for any cricket fan to be able to step into the shoes of the coach and select a team of their choice.
“I feel apps like this are a great way to connect to people and it gives me the opportunity to be the deciding authority and select a correct combination of team members,”says Sanjay Pillai, a student of MS Ramaiah. Rachana Aluru, a from Bangalore Institute of Legal Studies feels, “Choosing 11 players, one wicket keeper is a great way to be a part of the team.”
But not all fans find these apps appealing. Some believe that they can be improved to enhance the experience of the game.
Scope for improvement
“I have played fantasy cricket several times and it is very exciting to see how my dream team performs in the real match. Knowledge about the actual game and how the players perform plays a key role as does luck. If they follow and adapt a little from the Football Premier League, I think these apps can improve in terms of the different groups they have,” says Fadl Afridi, a student of St Joseph’s College
Fantasy Cricket apps are becoming the virtual reality that lakhs of people are becoming a part of. With these apps people don’t just watch IPL, they play it!
