The Cricket Draft's BRAND NEW Fantasy Cricket Game: DUELS IS LIVE!
Every cricket group chat has that one mate: the armchair expert who swears they saw a youngster's match-winning knock coming from three seasons away, the tactician who insists their captaincy pick was pure genius, and the loudest voice claiming superior cricketing nous.
Until now, proving them wrong meant waiting through an entire Cricket Draft season...
Alongside the classic season-long competitions you already know and love, The Cricket Draft BRAND NEW FANTASY CRICKET GAME Duels introduces a high-tempo, Gameweek-by-Gameweek way to play. Instead of waiting months to see who comes out on top, Duels lets you settle the score in days—taking on your friends directly or testing your managerial skills against the wider Cricket Draft community for cold, hard cash.
Duels is available to play exclusively on The Cricket Draft mobile app: DOWNLOAD HERE
How to Play: The 3-Step Playbook
Entering a Duel takes only minutes, whether you're setting up a private office pool or taking on your fiercest club rival.
1. Build Your 15-Player Squad
Head to the Squad tab, select your active competition (from domestic T20 Blasts to World Cups), and begin recruitment with your allocated £100m budget:
The Starting XI: 11 active point-scorers.
The Bench: 4 crucial substitutes across any position.
Flexible Formations: Take advantage of flexible slots that let you swap between Batters/All-Rounders or Bowlers/All-Rounders depending on pitch conditions and matchups.
Squad Validation: Your squad must contain exactly 15 players within budget to receive the green Complete status needed to duel.
2. Choose Your Battlefield & Set the Stakes
Hit CREATE DUEL from the My Duels screen, top up your wallet, and pick your match format:
Play vs Friends (Head-to-Head): Classic 1v1 rivalry. Send a direct challenge via username or generate a custom Invite Link to share on WhatsApp or text.
Play vs Friends (Pools): A multi-entry, winner-takes-all showdown among two or more players. Perfect for club teams and friend groups looking to build a massive prize pot.
Public Pools: Enter open lobbies alongside top managers across the platform to test your tactical limits.
Find Me a Duel: Feeling confident? Pick your entry fee and get matched randomly against another manager at the same stake.
3. Track Live and Collect the Pot
Once the first match of the Gameweek begins, the deadline locks. Follow your players' wickets, runs, and fielding dismissals live on your active Duel Block. Finish top of the leaderboard after final verification, and the prize pot lands directly in your wallet.
Crucial Tactics: Mastering the Rules
Winning consistently in Duels requires working every angle of the rulebook to your advantage.
Captain & Vice-Captain Boosts: Your Captain (C) scores double points (2.0x), while your Vice-Captain (VC) gets a 1.5x multiplier (rounded up to the nearest whole point).
Fail-Safe Cover: If your Captain doesn't feature, your VC automatically steps up to 2.0x, and the highest-value starting player in your updated XI assumes the VC boost.
Tactical Wicketkeeping: Any player with wicketkeeping experience can be designated in the WKT slot or deployed as a pure Batter (BAT). However, wicketkeeping dismissal points (catches behind the stumps and stumpings) are only awarded if that player is placed in your primary WKT slot. If they field in the outfield in real life, their catches and run-outs count wherever they sit.
Dynamic Auto-Subs: Don't fear last-minute team sheet scratches. If a starting player doesn't play a single ball, the system automatically brings in an eligible bench replacement at the end of the Gameweek.
The engine prioritizes your highest-value eligible substitute (with ties settled by whoever scored the most fantasy points).
Negative-scoring substitutes are never subbed in.
The system dynamically reorganizes internal flexible slots to maximize the number of legal substitutes brought onto your card.
Visual Team Sheet Indicators: Keep an eye on the player status markers before the first ball is bowled:
Green Disc: Confirmed in the starting lineup for match one.
Red Disc: Not selected in the first fixture's starting lineup.
Yellow Disc: No scheduled fixture this Gameweek.
Red Alert Triangle: Breaking injury or squad availability news.
Enter the Arena NOW!
The noise in your cricket group chats is about to get a lot louder. Whether you want to settle a long-standing argument about who understands the game better or turn your match-day instincts into cash winnings, Duels gives you the arena to prove it.
Build your squad, name your price, and send out your first invite link today.
Please note: As a regulated, low-stakes, peer-to-peer pool betting product, access to The Cricket Draft Duels is restricted to users in Great Britain aged 18+. Duels is designed to enhance your enjoyment of cricket by allowing you to test your skills in real-money contests directly against friends and other fans.
Please play responsibly and within your limits. For free, confidential advice and support, visit GambleAware.org.
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