While watching cricket is fun, playing around with fantasy cricket is better — for fans who love to truly engage with their favorite sport by competing for rewards, daily fantasy cricket is the perfect format.
Rather than the season-long versions that typically apply, this option allows a focus on individual matches, which offers many more opportunities. Players can win big with only the right strategy to back them up! And, of course, the perfect fantasy team.
Still, the competition is fierce, and staying ahead means you’ve got to research, analyze, and strategically think your way into and above the competition.
Luckily, these aren’t unattainable!
No one just jumps into the game without knowing anything about it — more than just losing out, you simply don’t have the same level of fun. That’s why it’s also important to learn the system of the fantasy cricket platform you’re joining.
Consider, for example, the following:
- Points System: Different points are awarded for different player actions, and you need to understand why and what — how many for runs vs. how many for catches? Wickets, economy rates, and other actions matter, too. In addition, some platforms might even offer bonus points if you get those centuries or five-wicket haul milestones.
- Team Composition: You also need to figure out the restrictions on team selection because that changes your intended strategy entirely; consider any existing limits on overseas players or budget needs.
Your next pit stop is beginning your research. After all, succeeding in daily fantasy cricket hinges quite deeply on staying up to date with the latest info, not to mention getting data-driven insights to make decisions.
Considering that India alone will have 180 million by 2023, the importance of research is underscored by the competition in this corner of the world alone!
Here are a couple of things you can research to stay ahead of the 180-million curve:
- Analyze players’ form and fitness by checking their recent performances, injuries, and consistency over multiple consecutive plays.
- Then there’s the pitch and weather, which changes the resistance or pacing of the game. Some pitches end up helping out the spinners, while others are for pacers and aggressive batsmen. Being overcast means swing bowlers play great, whereas dryness could suit spin-heavy bowlers.
- And, of course, you’ll want to stay updated on squad announcements, injuries, and line-up edits because last-minute changes can make or break match dynamics.
Human research isn’t flawless, and as mentioned, there are various factors that come in to mix up what people might expect. This is where mathematical models help you outthink and analyze the competition by optimizing your own strategies.
- Expected Value (EV): You can calculate the EV for each player in the game by measuring out the probability of the key outcomes (e.g., a batsman scoring a century), as well as the associated fantasy points. For example, a player with a 30% chance of scoring 50 points has a 15 EV rating.
- Regression Analysis: You can also end up predicting player performances using variables like form and opposition strength and comparing them with historical data and trends.
Of course, you’ll also want to create that perfect cricket fantasy team to boost your chances of winning, right? Consider some of the following tips to optimize your decision-making:
- Have a couple of all-rounders who can help you maximize scoring opportunities.
- Prioritize having top-order players and batsmen who face the most deliveries — for heavy scoring.
- Consider picking good wicket keepers with reliable batting skills.
- Bowlers are important, of course, so think especially about those who take wickets and maintain low economy rates since they tend to score high.
You’ve got your team — but who are the Captain and Vice-Captain? Know that you can’t just go with the flow since they are extremely important in boosting the team’s overall score since they earn 2x and 1.5x points, respectively.
To think about this in detail, think about the following:
- Choose consistent performers who are less prone to failure, even if they aren’t superstars (sometimes). For example, choose all-rounders.
- Also, think about the match situation — if the pitch favors spinners, choosing a spinner as captain could pretty much pay off!
- Do avoid overly popular picks because this can differentiate your team from competitors, which is especially important in high-stakes contests.
What you need to do next is not put your eggs all in one basket. Spread them around instead, and enter multiple contests to manage your risks.
- Small Leagues: Entering these helps you with consistent returns against less competition.
- Grand Leagues: These may be high risk, but they’re also high reward. Enter these leagues with unique team combinations to try your luck (and skill).
- Free Contests: Here, you get to practice strategies without financial investment.
You might regret creating only one team. This is because choosing multiple ones means you spread out the risk and cover as many possible match outcomes as you can.
You can also try out a ton of different strategies and even experiment with captains and vice-captains, not to mention oscillate between popular players and less-selected “differentials” in case they outperform expectations. Hedge your bets!
You don’t want to play it safe all the time, especially if you want to really excel in daily fantasy cricket. This means you have to take calculated risks, like selecting less obvious players who might be hit or miss.
These can include players with low ownership percentages who outperform in specific conditions or high-risk, high-reward players who can have high ceilings, like power hitters or strike bowlers.
However, always remember to balance these risks to have a stable core for your team.
This isn’t part of your usual process but rather comes later. Once you’ve won or lost, you get to analyze your team’s performance and figure out what areas are there for improvement — or, in fact, termination. This evaluation covers:
- Player contributions
- Choice of Captain and Vice Captain
- Trends and Patterns
- Personal Expectations
You can also try out a ton of different strategies and even experiment with captains and vice-captains, not to mention oscillate between popular players and less-selected “differentials” in case they outperform expectations. Hedge your bets!
It’s not hard to excel in daily fantasy cricket… but only if you put in the effort to combine research, statistical analysis, and strategic risk-taking.
And when you leverage tools like AllCric for strategies, free cricket betting tips, mathematical models, and real-time updates, you get to do even better.
All in all, though, if you truly want to succeed, remember to stay disciplined, diversify, and adapt. And one day, with practice, persistence, and a love for cricket, you’ll master the art of daily fantasy cricket to enjoy its endless rewards!