afaqs! news bureau
Digital

The IPL Fantasy League is back

Packed with new features, the largest Cricket Fantasy League expects to attract a million players online.

The stage is set for another edition of the Indian Premier League and this also marks the second edition of IPL Fantasy League (https://fantasy.iplt20.com), the 'Digital IPL' that debuted last year. The Fantasy League had a major contribution in IPL's online success.

The IPL Fantasy League is back
The IPL Fantasy League is back
Launched last year, the Fantasy League registered over 5 lakh players across the globe participating during IPL 2013. The site saw nearly 15 million visits and over 100 million page views in a space of two months last year. It also created tremendous involvement and social buzz with lakhs of tweets and Facebook updates.

Users could create private leagues and play IPL Fantasy with their friends and colleagues, for bragging rights. Encouraged by the success, the Fantasy League was extended to the Champions League T20 2013 with TenTenTen handling all responsibilities for the same.

The league allows a player to own and create a team with a unique name, emblem and motto. Each player is then given 10 million Fantasy Dollars using which he or she can pick a virtual squad of 11 players. Players then earn points based on their squad's actual performance in IPL matches. The Fantasy team with the most points wins the league.

Many new features have been added to the IPL Fantasy League this year, such as 'Stealth mode,' which lets players hide one's squad changes from opponents; 'Scheduled Substitution' that lets players schedule changes one match in advance; 'All Star', where fantasy cricket meets blockbuster entertainment and lets users create their own star-studded fantasy squad. Apart from this, 'Facebook Leagues' allows players to check their rank among their Facebook friends and 'Dishooms' that allow players to send fun messages to members within their league.

"When we approached IPL last year, we were confident about the appeal of a Fantasy League, as well as how it will help grow the craze of IPL beyond the traditional boundaries. However, what caught us by surprise was the momentum it gained in its debut year itself. With half a million participants, the league became the largest fantasy cricket league ever. This year, we have packed in lots of new stuff to fuel the awareness and engagement for IPL further. We expect a million players to play the league this time, taking the IPL fever to the next level globally," says Ramesh Srivats, founder, TenTenTen Digital Products, the company that created and manages the IPL Fantasy League.

The league is also better optimised for mobile this year. The winners of the IPL Fantasy League 2014 stand a chance to win tickets to the matches and exciting IPL merchandise.

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