Cricket is a sport revered the world over, but nowhere is this passion more fervent than in India. Cricket fans troop in their thousands to watch matches live while others remain glued to their TV screens or stream them online. However, the global COVID pandemic has posed challenges to the sport leading to changes in plans.
The BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket in India) suspended this year’s IPL (Indian Premier League) in May due to the proliferation of COVID cases. After a comprehensive consultation, BCCI announced the league’s resumption in September 2021but with the rider that it be convened in the UAE.
This news was greeted with jubilation by cricket fans, especially patrons of fantasy cricket. Fantasy cricket is a form of fantasy sport where you select a virtual team made up of proxies of real-world cricket players. Your squad gains points based on the performance of these professional cricketers in real-world matches. If you have the highest point total in your league, you are declared the winner, and you usually win some prize money.
Since there is some skill involved in selecting the team, online cricket betting is legal in almost all Indian states. However, to boost your chances of success, there are a few betting tips for cricket you might like to know.
Tips and strategies for fantasy cricket
- As the saying goes, “Fortune favors the prepared,” so if you want to succeed in fantasy cricket, you cannot leave it up to chance. Would you mind making sure you research the prospective players you are planning on selecting, particularly their recent form? Be cautious not to be swayed by big names or players’ popularity; instead, let hard statistics be the determinant.
- Be double sure that the players on your roster will be in the first eleven of their respective teams. Choosing a player who happens to be benched for the game will cost you dearly as they cannot possibly earn points without playing. So always compose your team at the last possible moment and pay keen attention to injury reports. You can get the confirmed list of players after the coin toss at the beginning of the game and swiftly make changes to ensure all your players are in the starting lineup.
- Keep a keen eye on pitch performance for the game in question. Different pitches have different characteristics that affect gameplay and the outcome of the game. For example, flat pitches are favored by batsmen, so if the match is held on a flat pitch, consider reducing your number of bowlers in favor of batters.
Conversely, if the match is played in the afternoon on a slow and dry pitch, you can pick more spinners on your team, mirroring the strategy coaches are likely to employ. You can also review the pitch’s performance in the past under similar conditions to guide your decisions further.
- Closely tied to pitch performance is weather conditions. First, get an accurate weather forecast for the venue where the game will be held. Weather affects the pitch directly and the duration of games. If, for example, rain is expected or there are rain interruptions, it is best to select top-order batters and bowlers who are assured of play and who might perform better before the pitch is affected by the rain.
- In limited-overs games like T20 format cricket, prioritize top-order batters because it has been proven that they play the most balls, so consequently, they can earn you higher points.
- When choosing your captain and vice-captain, make sure you choose the most prolific players since, in fantasy cricket, their points are multiplied by 2X and 1.5X times, respectively. However, do not be wowed by star power or your personal preferences, as this decision could spell the difference between winning and failure.
- Another important tip is to carefully study the points scoring system of the app or site you will use as they vary greatly. For example, some apps attach more weightage to batting points such as runs, while others favor bowling points such as wickets, so make sure you know the details. In addition, in some apps, the points scoring system may differ depending on the format of cricket, be it Test, T20, or One Day Internationals.
- Most fantasy cricket apps and sites require you to have an uncapped player in your team. Uncapped players are players who are yet to play for their national team. However, if they perform well in the match, they can fetch you a tidy amount of points. When selecting uncapped players, make sure you prioritize bowlers who bowl in the middle order or wicket-keeping batters.
- Some plays get bonus points in fantasy cricket. For example, catches, stumping, and run-outs can earn you bonus points, so as you select your team, ensure you include players who regularly take catches or are excellent fielders. These additional points could give you an edge over the competition.
Armed with these online cricket betting tips and tricks, you are all but assured of making great bets.
