Cricket World Cup Fantasy

The ICC World Cup begins on October 5 and ends on November 19, 2023. The last time an ODI World Cup was held in the subcontinent was in 2011 when India lifted the trophy. The men's ODI Cricket World Cup has been lifted by the host/co-host in the last three tournaments. This makes India one of the favourites for the upcoming tournament. The ten-team tournament will be played in a round-robin format. The top four teams at the end of the group stages will advance to the semifinals. The winners at this stage will advance to the final and have a shot at lifting the title.

The schedule for the tournament has not yet been revealed. However, the final schedule is expected to be out later this June. Meanwhile, the qualifiers for the Cricket World Cup are being played between June 18 to July 9. The top two teams will be the final two teams to qualify for the tournament.

India will fancy their chances of winning their first ICC tournament in a decade. They will face a stiff challenge from defending champions England, who have great batting depth and a potent bowling attack. Additionally, one cannot discount four-time winners Australia from winning a major tournament. And, of course, Pakistan will be dark horses. The other teams that have already qualified are New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Bangladesh.

If you're planning to participate in fantasy cricket tournaments for the World Cup, then look no further than this list. Here are some ICC World Cup fantasy players who can land you maximum points in your fantasy teams.

Possibly the best player to have emerged in the game in the last two decades, Virat Kohli will be key to India's chances at the ODI World Cup. Backing a player with an average of 57.3 and a strike rate of 93.6 after 274 matches seems like the right call. Virat also has an exceptional record while chasing in ODIs with 7326 runs in 144 innings when India bats second. This includes 26 centuries and 35 half-centuries, at an average of 64. In this year's ODI series loss to Australia, Virat had top-scored for India in the final two games. Since India's middle order is facing challenges due to injuries and a lack of form, the onus will be on Virat to play the role of anchor and steady the innings.

Babar is an easy pick for your ODI World Cup fantasy team plans. The Pakistan captain has 5,089 runs to his name after 100 ODI games. In his last eight ODIs, all of which were against New Zealand, he has notched a century and four half-centuries. Babar also holds the joint record for the fastest Pakistani batsman to reach 2000 ODI runs. Contrary to popular belief, Babar does not go big only against weaker teams. He has an ODI average of 73.5 against Australia after 9 innings, which includes 3 centuries and 2 fifties. Additionally, he has an impressive average of 65.37 after 10 matches against South Africa.

Mitchell has picked the most wickets in each of the last two ODI World Cups. His 27 wickets at the 2019 ODI World Cup are still an all-time tournament record. With a strike rate of 25.9 deliveries, he is expected to pick up at least 2 wickets per game. The one downside of Mitchell is his inconsistency, which sometimes makes his economic rate expensive. But a bowler who is the fastest ever to 150 and 200 ODI wickets and is in the form of his life is expected to go big once more at this tournament.

Shakib was one of the standout performers at the previous ODI World Cup. He also broke Sachin's record of most runs in an ODI World Cup's group stages, with 606 in 8 games. Additionally, he also picked up 11 wickets and was part of the "Team of the Tournament". Shakib has also taken the fewest games to reach the double of 5000 runs and 250 wickets. He has an average of 37.73 after 219 batted innings, which includes 53 fifties and nine hundreds. Additionally, he has a good economy rate of 4.46, with 301 wickets in 226 innings.

While Steven Smith is possibly the best player in Test cricket right now, his ODI stats are nothing to scoff at. With an average of 44.49 after 126 innings, he will prove to be a handful to bowlers at this year's ICC World Cup. Steven is also a big game player. His 93-ball 105 paved the way to Australia's 2015 ODI World Cup semifinal win. He later followed it up with an unbeaten 56 that landed them the trophy. His 85 in the semifinal of the 2019 competition was the saving grace for Australia against England. He is also an exceptional fielder and is known to take a blinder every now and then.

While the World Cup is still months away, fantasy game planning for this tournament has begun well in advance. To give you a headstart over your competitors, we have noted the top fantasy players who are expected to thrive at this tournament. They can be automatic captaincy picks and can make your team selection dilemmas easier. We would suggest reading cricket blogs and building up expertise before creating teams. ODIs are subject to more ups and downs due to the longer game format. However, with strategic planning, the rewards you can reap are huge.