Have you ever wondered where are you going wrong and losing all that money on Dream11? Not only do you need some basic cricketing knowledge but also certain hidden tips and tricks that will give you the extra edge over others and help you conquer those minor as well as major leagues.
Here are 7 tips to conquer Dream 11 like a Boss:
1- Study the points system
It is very important to understand the points system and build your teams accordingly. As per Dream 11, every wicket fetches you 25 points (for ODI and T20) and every run fetches you a single point. Now we know that T20 format is comparatively quicker than the ODI and therefore the chances of a bowler picking wickets is higher. For example, even if a bowler takes 2 wickets, that is equivalent to a batsman scoring 40-45 runs (boundary bonus to be added). Now in T20 cricket, even an average of 30 runs is considered good. So from this you can understand that in a T20 game, your team must have wicket taking bowlers in order to fetch maximum points.
For a LBW or Bowled, there are extra 8 bonus points for a bowler.
Now coming to fielding, it is important to pick wicketkeepers. By wicket keepers I mean the player who is actually wicketkeeping for the team and not the one who is merely categorized as one. For example, in the Indian team, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are both in the WK category, but as Pant is the actual wicketkeeper, he can fetch you better points. Having said that, this should not be the only criteria, but if you are in some dilemma, you can always remember this point.
2- Recent form of the players
This should be your first thought while picking a team. A form of a player determines how many points you will fetch in that particular game. Do not make the mistake of ignoring an in-form player. There are two reasons to this- Firstly, he could be in other teams you competing and him scoring would mean you losing that battle and secondly, his form might not give other players in the same team an opportunity to create an impact in the game. For example, if you decide to ignore an in-form Rohit Sharma and pick someone like a Hardik Pandya for an ODI game, there is a high possibility that Hardik, who bats at number 6 might not even get a chance to bat because Rohit Sharma slammed a century (or maybe a double).
3- Team Composition
Your team should ideally consist of 2 wicketkeepers of both the teams (provided they are good batsmen too), 3-4 batsmen (preferably who bat on top of the order), minimum 2 all rounders because getting both bowling and batting points from a single player can prove to be a match winner and lastly 3-4 bowlers. You should not shy away from bowlers because bowlers are the real deal here (point 1)
4- Pitch and weather conditions
People usually ignore this. But it is very important to read or listen to the pitch report. If the track is flat, you should make your team around batsmen, if it’s a spinning pitch, get spinners into the team. Knowing the pitch conditions makes the task easier as you know what kind of players are expected to perform.
Weather conditions also play a crucial role. In the subcontinent there is usually a commencement of dew as the evening progresses. Therefore, in a T20, a team bowling in the second half has to face quite some difficulties as the ball gets difficult to spin, rather hold. This gives the batting team an additional advantage because the bowling gets difficult.
5- Know about the Stadium
This is somewhere related to the above point. It is necessary to know the stadium in which the teams are playing so that you can assess the pitch and weather conditions. For example, if the match is in Bengaluru, the pitch is usually flat, assisting the batsmen and proving a nightmare for the bowlers. Therefore, you should build your team around batsmen. Not only the pitch, a previous stat such as average totals, average wickets fell, wickets by which kind of bowlers etc also help your team creating task a little easier and certainly gives you an extra edge.
6- Captain and Vice-Captain Choices
This decision is your make or break. The player you select as captain fetches you double the points he scored, whereas your vice-captain will fetch you 1.5x the points you score. Factors while considering your captain and vice captain are-
- Recent Form
- Record in that particular stadium
- Record against that particular opponent
- Format of the game (ODI, T20, Test)
7- Play selective matches
We would advise you to play only those matches on which you have a fair idea about the players and the tournament. Dream11 has a host of matches and giving a shot in matches, where you do not know the players, can be a huge risk.
We hope you find these tips useful and it helps you conquer your leagues on Dream11.
As Mahendra Singh Dhoni says, “Make your team, NOW!”
Written by: Aditya Paharia