The fantasy sports space is one of the fastest growing segments of the Indian economy. With over 13 crore users, India now has more fantasy sports players than any other country. There’s hardly a cricket fan out there who doesn’t have at least one fantasy cricket app installed on their smartphone or tablet. If you’re new to the phenomenon, though, here are 10 features you should look for in a fantasy app.
Good user experience: No one is going to stick around on an app if good user experience isn’t provided. The last thing you want once you’ve downloaded an app is to fumble around endlessly searching for the next steps. The best fantasy cricket app leads you through the registration process and into actual gameplay in the space of a few minutes.
Easy sign-up: This is another non-negotiable. You shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to register on an app. With most well-designed apps, once you’ve provided your personal details, they will ask you for some form of validation or the other – usually an ID card. Once that has been verified, you’re ready to proceed. If that process takes too long or is overly complicated, entailing multiple calls or emails to customer service, it’s probably a sign you should look for another app.
Totally secure: When you register on a fantasy cricket app, or any other, you obviously want your personal details to remain safe and not to be shared with all and sundry. The same goes for your financial transactions. Whenever you deposit money into your account or withdraw it, you want the transactions to be done through a secure, unbreachable platform. It’s also essential that you’re the only one with access to your transaction history.
Daily contests: Cricket matches may have fixed timings, but you shouldn’t face such constraints while playing fantasy cricket. If you want to play fantasy cricket at 5 a.m., you should have games to choose from. The best apps don’t just cover matches involving India and Indian T20 League teams. They cover international matches and tournaments from across the world, as well as domestic T20 competitions played in over a dozen countries. In theory, you could start your day with a contest based on a match in New Zealand and then take part in matches being played in Australia, the Indian subcontinent, the UAE, South Africa, England and the Caribbean. The only limit to how much you want to play is set by you.
Real-time score updates: Once you’ve chosen a team or teams that you think will beat the teams picked by anyone else, you also want to track their performance. Even as the match is being played out on the field, the best apps update their points after every ball. You can see your teams’ point tally grow with each 4 or 6 hit, every wicket taken and every catch pouched. Not only does that add a live-match feel to your gaming, but it also gives you valuable pointers on how you can possibly do better next time.
Player, team and match info: Not everyone who plays fantasy cricket is an expert, or steeped in cricket history. You don’t need to be either. A good fantasy cricket will have player profiles which give you enough information about those you’re selecting for your XI. That usually includes their overall career figures and their numbers in the specific competition they’re playing. The team-selection interface should also tell you what percentage of fantasy players have opted for that individual and also how many points he or she has scored in that particular series. Similarly, team and match information is equally vital. The last thing you want is to select players who aren’t even playing the game. The leading apps all provide fairly accurate predictions of the XIs likely to play, along with analysis of the teams’ recent form and past records against each other.
Practice games: Only rarely will someone jump straight into a cash contest minutes after registering on an app. It’s much more likely that they’ll want to play a few practice games and figure out a strategy that they think will work for them before they enter into any contest for big cash prizes. The best fantasy cricket apps provide unlimited practice matches, and you can enter multiple teams in each contest so that you quickly learn what works and what doesn’t.
Cash prizes: Once you’re confident of your ability to pick a great XI, there is really no limit to the prizes you can win. Leading fantasy cricket apps offer fantastic cricket prizes. Some of them also give you the chance to pit your team against those chosen by cricket legends. What better way to win rewards and show off your cricket knowledge at the same time?
Easy withdrawal: Once you’ve won a cash contest, what you don’t want is layers and layers of red tape before you can access your winnings. The leading apps are distinguished by the ease with which you can withdraw your money. Provided you’ve given accurate personal and banking details, withdrawing your funds shouldn’t be a hassle at all.
Welcome bonuses: This is another attractive feature that the best fantasy cricket apps provide. As soon as you’ve registered, you’re usually eligible for a welcome bonus, which you can then use to play even more games. There are also referral bonuses if you get your friends to play, and others depending on how many matches you play and how well you do in them. Often, taking part in one contest can lead to a discounted entry fee for subsequent contests.
