You grew up watching your favorite IPL team, and you idolize your favorite player. And, of course, there was probably a time in your life when you dreamed of one day joining the Mysuru Warriors or the Kota Chambal Tigers.

But, eventually, reality set in, and you soon realized that you were never destined to become the next Sachin Tendulkar.

Growing up is no fun, right?

But these days, anyone can form their own “team” and even earn a bit of money, thanks to fantasy cricket leagues. Thinking about playing fantasy cricket, but don’t want to do all the work yourself? Then think about using one of the cricket apps.

Fantasy cricket in India

It’s believed that fantasy leagues, also called rotisserie leagues, got its start in the United States back in 1962, when a part-owner of the National Football League team Oakland Raiders held a “draft” with some friends in a New York City hotel. The concept was not only simple, it’s also used today: participants drafted players to their fantasy “teams,” then the participants would garner points based off of their drafted players’ performances in games.

In other words, the basic rules haven’t changed.

In India, the gambling sector is heavily regulated. The law is skewed against “games of chance.” However, the Supreme Court of India came out clearly on how it defines games of chance vs. games of skill. To play fantasy cricket, you need skill to know who to select and a strategy to use. Fantasy sports, including fantasy cricket were thus classified under “games of skill.” This classification means that the stringent gambling laws do not apply to it.

Fantasy leagues and apps to use

The Indian cricket season is gathering momentum with various fixtures coming up. There are several ODIs and Test matches scheduled from July. The IPL 14 is set to return in September, swiftly followed by the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. However, you can join in the excitement by downloading fantasy cricket apps and logging into fantasy sports betting sites.

Howzat

Howzat is one of the most popular apps for fantasy cricket. You can either use the free app where you don’t need to deposit money to play or the cash app. The app has a very easy-to-use interface and instant withdrawals. The maximum you can withdraw at a go is 2 lakh. If you decide to use the cash app, you get a welcome bonus of up to 200 percent on your first deposit. 

Another plus with the Howzat app is its referral bonus, which rewards both you and your newbie. This bonus could be up to 500 rupees. You can also win big by playing against the fantasy teams of cricket legends like Yuvraj Singh, Kieran Pollard, and many others.

MyTeam11

It is a top-rated fantasy cricket app with over 1.5 crore users. It has other games like volleyball, hockey, soccer, and basketball. It has payouts of more than 10 crore daily. MyTeam11 has round-the-clock customer care and support. You need to deposit money to stand a chance of winning. They also have a sign-up bonus of 100 rupees. You also receive a welcome bonus of 100 percent up to 200 INR. You get a match bonus on your second deposit (50 percent ) and third deposit (25 percent )

BalleBaazi

BalleBaazi is quickly gaining popularity among Indian fantasy cricket fans. It was launched in 2018 and continues to grow from strength to strength. To sign up, you need to link your account with your phone number. You can try free mode to get the hang of it, but you need to deposit to get any real money winnings. You can deposit money easily using various methods like credit cards, PayTM, Bank transfer, amongst others. However, to withdraw, you can only use a verified bank account or Paytm Wallet. Kabaddi and football have been recently added to the app

My11Circle

My11Circle is patronized by over 1.3 crore users and has doled out over 100 crore in winnings. It has a very intuitive user interface. To get any winnings, you must deposit real money. The unique thing about My11Circle is that you can withdraw any amount (starting from 100 INR) since it has no withdrawal limit. This means you can even empty your account. Its brand ambassador is Sourav Ganguly. They also have a sign-up bonus of 500 INR as well as lucrative referral bonuses. Another creative thing about the app is that you can combine two teams to form your team of 11

11wickets

This app was started in 2018 and continues to grow exponentially. You need to sign up with your email, Google+ details or Facebook. You can play either fantasy cricket (also includes Afghanistan Premier League) or fantasy soccer (English Premier League). 11wickets app menu is relatively easy to navigate. You have limited credits (each player is valued differently) as you select your starting eleven. You can deposit using major credit cards or Net Banking. You can get a sign-up bonus of 100 INR and a referral bonus of 100 INR. They have no free mode; you need to deposit money to play. They also offer a DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) version of fantasy cricket.

Most of the apps named also have fantasy sports betting sites where you can log in with your computer or phone.