With the Indian T20 League in full swing, the games of fantasy cricket don’t stop either. There’s at least a match every day and multiple fantasy league contests associated with each game. How does the XI you select make a mark? Here we look at 5 tips that could take you to the top of the leaderboard and win you huge prizes.
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Know your tournament and players
Preparation is vitally important in sport. Those teams and players that have aimed to peak at the right time invariably do better. Fantasy cricket is no different. It doesn’t really matter which fantasy cricket app you use if you haven’t been keeping an eye on what’s going on. Cricket is one of those sports where the conditions – both the pitch and weather – play a huge role in determining the results. Before you select a fantasy team for a match, know how the teams and players have done previously at the venue, what the head-to-head records are, and the players’ recent form. A leading app like Howzat offers a wealth of information in the form of match predictions, player profiles and informative blog posts. Moreover, when you select your playing XI, you can see what percentage of users have picked that particular player and how many fantasy points they have scored in the tournament so far.
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Select players based on form and conditions
This is crucial. There is little point selecting 3 spinners on a hard and bouncy pitch where the fast bowlers are likely to dominate. Similarly, you don’t want to be pace-heavy on a slow, turning track. All-rounders come into their own in challenging conditions, but are less likely to be a factor at a venue where batters or bowlers dominate. The other key factor is form. R. Sharma and V. Kohli are two of the greatest batters in T20 history. Both, however, have had a miserable Indian T20 League season so far this year. Rather than select names based on their reputation, go by recent form. Right now, a T. Varma or S. Dube is likely to fetch you more points. Unlike a real cricket team, you’re not constrained when it comes to team balance, as long as you select at least 1 batter, 1 bowler, 1 all-rounder and 1 wicketkeeper. Moreover, you have two teams to choose from while selecting your XI. So choose wisely and choose those in form.
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Last-minute checks
You don’t want to leave your team selection to the last minute and miss out on entering your team in a contest. At the same time, you don’t want to jump the gun and pick too early either. A sensible approach would be to select your side a few hours before the match. Then, once the team sheets are out after the toss – usually 30 minutes before play begins – run your eyes over your side and make sure all 11 are playing. In a tournament as busy as the Indian T20 League, it’s common for players to pick up niggling injuries or even to be rested for the odd game. Teams may also change their combination based on the conditions that day. What you don’t want is to go into a contest without only 7 or 8 of your 11 actually playing.
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Choose the captain wisely
Unlike in many other sports where the captain is a largely ceremonial figure, the role of a captain is extremely important in a cricket team. This is why selectors think long and hard before appointing one. The factors they consider include experience, career record, coolness under pressure, ability to manage and motivate other players, and media skills. Once appointed, a captain can stay in the role for years. With fantasy cricket, however, things are completely different. The biggest factor you need to consider is that your captain scores 2x points and your vice captain 1.5x points. Nothing else really matters. So your task as a fantasy team selector is merely to pick those two players likely to score you the most points. It doesn’t matter if they’ve played 200 matches or only 2 games.
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Pick your trump card
When you play on a fantasy app, the teams chosen for a particular match will have plenty of similarities. On average, at least 4-5 players will be common to most fantasy league teams. A high percentage may even choose the same player as captain. So how do you gain an advantage over your fellow players? You can do it by keeping an eye out for emerging talent and less celebrated names. T. Natarajan and K. Ahmed are enjoying an excellent T20 season with the ball, while a star like J. Bumrah has mostly struggled. If you pick a player most others haven’t yet and they deliver a big performance, that’s often the difference between winning a contest and being stuck in the middle of the pack.
