While cricket may not be a religion, most Indians (from all faiths) do treat it like one. They let their lives revolve around it, worship the country’s cricketers, pray to them and for them; in a sense, they treat cricketers like Gods. But make no mistake. These aren’t superficial fans. They have vast knowledge and know-how when it comes to this sport. It is why fantasy cricket apps have come into the picture today – they offer a place for such experts to showcase their talents. At the initial stages, fantasy cricket apps were designed to cater to the devotion people have for the game, but eventually, the apps garnered a huge and passionate fanbase. How to play fantasy cricket? When a match is taking place, using the knowledge of both teams, the current players, the form and a pinch of instinct, users form their respective sides of 11 players. Based on how well the selected players perform, the user is awarded points. Fantasy cricket is played by users from all over the country. So, once the game ends, a user’s scores are calculated, and the one with the highest points wins.
The market opportunity for fantasy cricket mobile apps
Cricket is a multi-billion dollar industry and one of the most profitable in India. There are more than one billion fans globally, between the age of 16 and 69, who are devoted to the sport. Of this, 90% of enthusiasts are solely from India!
To further understand the level of enthusiasm for the game, 95% of cricketing fans are interested in the ICC Cricket World Cup and 88% show interest in ODIs while the T20 format is the most popular amidst 92%. Test cricket sees nearly 70% of the fans who are interested especially when England and Wales play.
The numbers in fantasy cricket
When it comes to fantasy cricket, as of March 2018, there are more than 20 million users – a figure that rose by two million in a few months. According to AC Nielsen and the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), this industry is proposed to cross 100 million by 2020.
Not just in India, throughout the world, fantasy apps are gaining traction. More than 70% of users who use such apps, do so via their mobile devices. With interest in fantasy games only increasing, more businesses are looking to enter the market and follow suit to reap the benefits.
It’s no surprise that India is the most prominent market for fantasy cricket apps such as My11Circle. In 2017, the growth rate for these apps rose from 18% to 20%. These numbers are proposed to rise even more in the future. In 2019, 352.9 billion mobile apps were downloaded.
Today, cricket is more than a sport; it’s a huge business that is made up of league tournaments, billions of fans, corporates, celebrities, big brands, etc. Countries like India, England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are significant hubs followed by Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka.
The reason for the tremendous success of such apps is because every fan is not only an aficionado but an expert too and this is the perfect platform to show off their expertise.
Reasons to invest in the fantasy cricket apps
Less competition: The saying ‘The early bird catches the first worm’ holds true in this case. As fantasy cricket is a novel concept, the competition in this industry isn’t as stiff. Pondering for too long will only increase the number of players in the game, and you could lose the worm. Launching early on can let you capture a good chunk of loyal fans, so you do not have to face competition head-on.
Adequate time for improvement: Launching your app at the nth moment can put you in a dire situation. You never know when bugs will arise or when you need to make changes to your app. Launching early on lets you have ample time for improvement so that when you do launch, the experience is seamless. Getting it right in the first attempt is not easy. So, ensure you have spare time on your hands to test it.
Opportunities galore: Every year there are endless cricket tournaments that take place, such as ODI matches, IPL, Big Bash, Test matches, etc. This offers never-ending opportunities for users to take part in fantasy cricket. What’s more, the largest marketplace for fantasy cricket, apart from Australia and England, is India. The year 2019 will see a heavy major cricket schedule that includes participants such as South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. Starting early, will let you tap into the Indian audience and that from other countries as well.
An open crowd: Apart from cricket, you can also include various other sports on the app that have a fan following. In India alone, the FIFA viewership was 300 million, even though the country didn’t participate. Similarly, with cricket and other sports, non-participating countries will make up a large portion of your target audience. So, aim to include as many games as possible.
It’s legal: Fantasy cricket in India is entirely legal. Since it is not considered a form of gambling or betting and is instead a game of skill, fantasy cricket is legal. This is another reason that a considerable number of fans are attracted to it.
There you have top five reasons to invest in fantasy cricket. Do you need more reasons? If you deeply delve into case studies, you will see that these apps are highly successful for various purposes. All you have to do is take that leap.
