Cricket is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports in India. The craze for cricket is unmatchable compared to other sports in India. The sport is considered a religion and Indian cricketers are worshipped as gods. Every Indian cricketer, including Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly, Jasprit Bumrah, Sunil Gavaskar, Rohit Sharma, Kapil Dev and to name a few has their own fan base across India. People of all ages have followed the game of cricket over the last several decades. India’s 1983 World Cup triumph led to further growth of the sport in India. Every kid in the hook and corner of the country aspires to don an Indian cricket jersey and represent the nation at the international level.
Several decades later, the growth and popularity of Cricket have been flourishing and there has not been an inch of decline in it. Even today, people of all age groups have been ardently following cricket, considered an ‘Unofficial’ National Sport of India. The Indian Premier League (IPL) played an important role in giving a major boost to the growth of cricket over the last decade and a half. However, until a few years ago, people were mere spectators/watchers of cricket or kept in touch with the game through multiple media, helping build a thriving environment around news and information about the sport. This changed in 2020. The reason is Fantasy Cricket.
With the craze and the growing popularity of cricket, the sport has made its way into Fantasy Gaming platforms. Fantasy Cricket is a phenomenon that was introduced over two decades ago, but it came popular around the cricketing world over the last few years. India has the highest number of users playing Fantasy Cricket. With the advent of technology and the internet, Fantasy Cricket has changed the way fans watch cricket. It keeps them involved rather than mere watchers of the game.
Fantasy Cricket is a platform for cricket enthusiasts to create a fantasy team of real-life players. The fans can unleash their passion and love for cricket while playing Fantasy Cricket. Fantasy Cricket also gives the fans an opportunity to make the best use of their knowledge and understanding of the game in order to defeat their opponents and win exciting cash in a contest or league. There has been a significant increase in the number of users playing Fantasy Cricket over the last few years. During the 2020 Lockdown period, fans were hooked on playing Fantasy Cricket as it was the only form of engagement and entertainment that was providing them. Since 2020, the user base of Fantasy Cricket across India has only grown and the numbers are expected to flourish further in the coming years.
Fantasy Cricket has indeed grown exponentially over the last few years. The growth and popularity of Fantasy Cricket are testimony to the success of the platform. It has become a mainstream phenomenon for millions of cricket fans across India. Fantasy Cricket has indeed added another layer of excitement and engagement for the fans by integrating the platform with real-world events, including the T20 leagues and World Cup. However, the rising popularity of T20 leagues across the cricketing world led to the immense growth of Fantasy Cricket.
Technological advancements have made it easier for fans to get more access to information and have also made it easier to participate in virtual leagues. Every fantasy cricket app and website has statistical information, helping users select players they believe will deliver the best in the match. Thus, it makes it a high-affair involvement, with in-depth research usually paying rich dividends. Moreover, the affordability of smartphones is one of the driving factors behind the success of Fantasy Cricket.
The Popularity of Fantasy Cricket has increased by 30-50% in the last couple of years. It has been estimated that there are over 100 Crore Fantasy Cricket players around the world. Out of all the fantasy sports, Fantasy Cricket has the maximum popularity and fan base not just in India but across the cricketing world. Fantasy Cricket has indeed grown rapidly and reached unprecedented heights over the last few years. Today, there are several apps and websites that offer this game to their audience or user base. It has been estimated that there are over 200 operators for Fantasy Cricket. The number is expected to grow in the coming years.
The combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning has changed the way fantasy cricket works. With the growing popularity and adaption of new technologies, Fantasy Cricket indeed has a bright future ahead. At the moment, it is safe to say that the future of Fantasy Cricket looks promising and one will definitely witness the further rise of the platform in the coming years.
