Fantasy IPL 2018: 3 Top Tips

Today the official IPL Fantasy cricket game was launched. It allows fans to really engage with the cricket, as they pick a squad of players who accumulate points based on the success of those players in real life. The IPL website always offers good prizes for those who do well, including signed merchandise from some of the world's top players.

What makes fantasy cricket so hard, though, is the fact that you are operating on a tight budget. You cannot pack your team with all the best players in the world and some brave decisions will have to be made. As people start building their teams for the competition, I thought I'd share my three top tips to be successful in the competition.

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#3 Pick as many all-rounders as possible

All-rounders are key in fantasy cricket. If you can find a player, like Shane Watson for example, who bats high up the order and is likely to bowl a few overs every match, then you rack up more points. Moreover, while there are only set spots for your all-rounders, you can also look at batsmen who bowl part-time spin, like Kedar Jadhav.

Also, when picking your bowlers take into account their batting ability. A spinner like Harbhajan Singh is a good bet, for he is not only a talented bowler but also is capable of launching the ball out of the ground. Look for players like these to maximise the number of points you are getting.

#2 Make your power player a bowler

Having your main power player as a death bowler is always a good option

In Fantasy IPL, you have a power player who scores double points. For this year, they have also introduced a second innings power player. You choose this player before the start of the match and he will score points in the second innings alone. Since you do not know who will be batting or bowling in the second innings (if the match is locked before the toss), it is a safe bet to make your second innings power player and all-rounder. For the opening match, someone like Shane Watson would make the ideal second innings power player.

However, your main power player should be a bowler if you are looking for long-term consistency. This is mainly because if a batsman fails on a given day then you have wasted a power player. With a bowler, there is always a chance that they can go on to pick up a wicket in the latter stages of the innings, especially if they are bowling at the death. Bowlers have a second chance while batsmen do not. Making your power player a death bowler is always a very good move and can help rack up some big points.

#1 Pick some outsiders

It is worth taking risks in IPL fantasy because the competition is so unpredictable

Everyone is going to have Virat Kohli in their team. Most players will have Bhuvneshwar Kumar and most will have Ben Stokes. There is no harm in having these players but bear in mind that they are very expensive. It is always good, therefore, to try and come up with some cheap players who you back to do well.

Every year, it gets harder to predict who the top performers will be and sometimes young Indian stars have breakthrough seasons. If you can back someone who is not the most prominent player at this stage, and if he goes on to do well, you will gain a huge advantage over the other competitors. You need to have a minimum of one uncapped player in your squad, but there is no harm in having more. Players like these make the difference in the grand scheme of the competition.