Play new ICC T20 World Cup Fantasy games in special Super Eight ‘Mini Leagues’

What is a Mini League?

As the name suggests, a Mini League is a shortened league that caters to a specific run of matches, known as ‘Sets’.

Each Mini League follows all of the same principles as the full Global League in the ICC Tournament Fantasy game, and existing fantasy players will automatically be entered into the game.

But the Mini League structure offers new players to the game a chance to compete from scratch, with two leagues set to start in the remainder of the tournament, covering:

1. The Super Eights to the Final
2. The Semi-Finals and Final

How to play Tournament Fantasy

Participants are tasked with creating a team of 11 players using a budget of $100 credits. The selection pool includes all eligible players from countries participating in the tournament. The fantasy league spans the entire duration of the T20 World Cup, comprising 55 games divided into various segments known as Sets. Players have the opportunity to choose a captain for their team who will score double points in the games, enhancing the importance of strategic selections. Rosters must be finalised before the start of each match, known as the Match Lock, after which no changes can be made until the next Set. Additionally, participants can use one booster per Set to potentially double specific types of points, adding a layer of strategy to team management.

Star players so far

Some of the low totals and brilliant bowling displays mean that the best performers in the first group stage of the tournament were bowlers and all-rounders.

Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi was the best performer across the opening phase of the tournament, closely followed by Australia’s Marcus Stoinis.

However, three of the top six performing players in the fantasy game will be on a plane home, with Trent Boult, Logan van Beek and Lockie Ferguson all no longer options for points as the tournament continues.

Players to look out for in the Super Eight

India’s batters barely feature in the top performers from the group stage, but that is primarily due to the low-scoring nature of the pitch in New York where they played their three completed Group A games, and so expect to see them make a big impact in the Super Eights. Rishabh Pant as a wicket-keeper and likely No.4 in the India batting order is a high-value pick-up. With the ball, Kuldeep Yadav has not played yet at this tournament, but is highly likely to be a key bowler in the Super Eight for India.

Defending champions England also represent value compared to their group performance. The unusual nature of their tournament so far means that fantasy points have been in short supply, but they are likely to have some strong performers in the Super Eight.

Harry Brook looks in excellent form and could get more time in the middle should England adjust their team balance, while Moeen Ali as an all-rounder is a valuable pick - likely to often bowl a reasonable amount of his allocation, while typically coming in at five or potentially even higher with the bat as his team’s sole left-handed option up the order.

Sets and Transfers

The matches of the T20 World Cup are organized into different Sets, each containing a variable number of matches depending on the tournament phase. This segmentation allows participants to strategize differently for each Set, tailoring their teams based on the matches included.

Participants have the flexibility to make unlimited transfers between Sets, which means they can completely overhaul their team at the end of each Set if they choose to. If no transfers are made, the same team is automatically carried over to the next Set. This feature is crucial for adapting strategies based on player performances and upcoming fixtures.

Team Management and Constraints

Participants must carefully select their team of 11 players while adhering to specific constraints on player roles and team composition. These constraints include a minimum and maximum number of wicket-keepers, batters, all-rounders, and bowlers that must be maintained throughout the tournament.

Additionally, the number of players that can be selected from any single real-world team varies depending on the stage of the tournament, adding an additional layer of strategy in balancing team diversity and potential point earnings.

Constraints Based on Skill Set

1. Wicket-keepers: You can select between a minimum of one and a maximum of two wicket-keepers for your team.
2. Batters: Your team must have at least three batters, but no more than six.
3. All-Rounders: You are required to choose at least one all-rounder, with the option to include up to four.
4. Bowlers: A minimum of three bowlers is necessary, with the possibility of having up to six.

It is mandatory for every team to include at least one player from each skill set mentioned above.

Constraints Based on the Maximum Number of Players from a Single Team

1. For Teams in Set 5 to Set 8: A maximum of five players can be selected from a single team.
2. Specifically for Set 9: You can choose up to five players from one team.
3. Specifically for Set 10: You are allowed to select a maximum of seven players from a single team.

Scoring System

The scoring system in the ICC Fantasy League is designed to reward a range of cricketing achievements across batting, bowling, and fielding disciplines. Points are awarded for runs scored, wickets taken, catches, and other game events, with bonus points available for exceptional performances such as scoring a century, taking multiple wickets in a game or scoring above a certain strike-rate.

This comprehensive scoring system ensures that every aspect of a player’s performance can contribute to the fantasy team’s success, making it essential for participants to choose players who are likely to perform well across different facets of the game.

For a full breakdown of the scoring click here.

Leagues and Boosters

Participants in the ICC Fantasy League can join or create private leagues, or participate in public leagues to compete with others globally. This social element allows fans to engage in friendly competition and compare strategies.

The use of boosters provides an opportunity to double points for specific actions like catches or runs, which can be a game-changer in league standings. Each booster has a specific effect and can be used strategically to gain an advantage based on your team's composition and the performances you expect from them. Boosters can be applied both during the creation of your team and any time before the deadline for team changes in each set.

Catchers Carnival: When you apply this booster, the points earned for every catch taken by any player in your team are doubled for that set. This booster also doubles the points for catches taken by your captain.

Super Captain: Normally, a captain earns double the points for their performance. However, if you apply the Super Captain booster, the captain's points are tripled instead of doubled for that particular set.

Fantastic Fours: This booster doubles the points awarded for every boundary (four runs) scored by players in your team for the duration of the set. If your team consists of aggressive batsmen likely to hit many boundaries, this booster can be very beneficial.

Special Sixes: Similar to the Fantastic Fours, the Special Sixes booster doubles the points for every six hit by your team members during the set. This can significantly increase your points total if your players are likely to hit a lot of sixes.

Wicket Wizards: When this booster is used, the points awarded for every wicket taken by any bowler in your team are doubled for that set. This is particularly useful if you expect your bowlers to perform well or if the pitch conditions favour bowling.

Users can apply only one of these boosters to your team once per set, and the chosen booster also affects the points scored by your captain under the boosted condition (except for the Super Captain, which specifically triples the captain’s normal double points).

Match fantasy

Match fantasy is different from tournament fantasy and is something that is played on a match by match basis.

The scoring system is the same to the tournament fantasy, but the game is played over the course of a specific match.

You can create a new team for every match choosing players from the participating teams.

Users can pick 5 players from the 2 countries playing in that particular T20 World Cup match with no restriction on budgets. Based on the points scored by the teams, your team will be featured on the Leaderboards.

You can pick a maximum of three players from their favourite or home team and two players from the opposite team. The Captain appointed will get 2x of the points. Changes in a team which include transferring a player in/out and changes in their captain selection can be made before the deadline only.