“At the heart of our mission lies the desire to empower, not just create fleeting fortunes. We want to equip cricket enthusiasts with the knowledge and strategies needed to master the art of daily fantasy cricket.”
Rohit Sankar
(Co-founder, CricXtasy)
Destiny intertwined the paths of two techies from diverse corners of India in 2017. These Techies had a common passion for cricket and were part-time cricket writers for multiple digital publications as well. Prasenjit, renowned for his compelling narratives on Cricbuzz, The Hindu, The Cricketer, Fancode and The Quint, came in touch with Rohit, whose words had graced the pages of Wisden, Cricbuzz, Fancode, ICC, and The Independent. Their journeys converged, unveiling a common vision that ignited their spirits. Fueled by the desire to build a platform that would give voice to numerous budding writers across the country, they founded CricXtasy in 2018.
Within the first year, CX had more than 50 writers contributing content on cricket. At first, it was tough. The founders had to juggle their day jobs with their passion for CX. Prasenjit and Rohit were working for two of the most renowned IT firms in India. In those early days, CX struggled to find financial footing. Therefore, Rohit and Prasenjit made a daring choice and bid farewell to their secure IT jobs, surrendering themselves to the call of their passion.
The decision paid rich dividends as CX landed its first big client soon. The website was also monetized, and it started generating significant revenue in March 2019.
“CX began as our passion project, with uncertainty shrouding its future, yet our unwavering belief in its potential propelled us forward. In those early days, it was like living a dual life – being Bruce Wayne by the day, and Batman at night,” laughs Prasenjit.
Prasenjit and Rohit both hold the titles of Co-Founders and Directors, but their responsibilities and areas of expertise are different. Prasenjit primarily concentrates on the daily content ideation for the website and oversees financial matters. On the other hand, Rohit’s main focus lies in managing various social media platforms and handling available resources.
An Attractive Platform For Cricket fans and Fantasy Sports Enthusiasts
CX has consistently achieved an impressive average of 1 million monthly visitors on its website since last year. It has become an attractive platform for not only the fans but also for fantasy sports companies and cricket goods manufacturers to advertise their products.
The Directors mention, “Our website’s content has garnered immense popularity among readers, evident from the significant number of visitors. It has received plaudits from numerous former cricketers and commentators, motivating us each day to strive forward.”
CX now aims to revolutionise the fantasy cricket market by developing an app that will cater to a rapidly growing audience. This strategic move demonstrates the firm’s commitment to enhancing user experience and staying ahead of the competition.
“We are extremely proud of what we have achieved with minimal resources. We have carved out an audience of our own with our cricket coverage over the years, and now our aim is to scale up and plug the gap between the creators and the users in the fantasy cricket market with an app that will become a one-stop hub for everything the fans need,” says Prasenjit Dey (Co-Founder, CricXtasy)
The Esteemed Clientele
The firm has established successful partnerships and collaborations with renowned clients such as Dream11, MyTeam11, Fancode, GoodGamer, Ballebaazi, RedBull India, 1xNews, Melbat, and even had the opportunity to work alongside the ICC (in collaboration with Dream11) to manage their Fantasy Cricket Section during the prestigious 2019 Men’s Cricket World Cup. These collaborations demonstrate CX’s expertise and ability to deliver exceptional services to prominent industry players.
The Stat Doctor tool
In 2020, the Founders introduced The Stat Doctor tool, a comprehensive T20 cricket database designed to provide advanced statistical insights. With a strong emphasis on statistical analysis, the firm strives to approach every cricket-related problem from a data-driven angle. The Stat Doctor’s presence on Twitter has quickly garnered a notable following within just two seasons of IPL coverage. The page is followed by many esteemed cricketers and commentators.
“Our current objective is to seamlessly integrate the Stat Doctor tool with the fantasy product we are developing. By doing so, fantasy players will have instant access to a wealth of data and insights, enabling them to make informed decisions when building their fantasy teams,” says Sankar.
Noteworthy Achievements
CX has experienced remarkable growth in terms of website traffic, with 10 million pageviews recorded in April 2022 after four years of operation, followed by an additional 8 million pageviews within the subsequent year.
Furthermore, the social media presence has also flourished, with its Facebook page reaching 100,000 followers in May. Additionally, the Instagram account has approximately 25,000 followers, while the CX and Stat Doctor Twitter handles collectively have around 11,000 followers. During IPL 2023 alone, the Facebook page content reached an impressive 30 million users, emphasising the widespread reach. And they have achieved all these things while being completely bootstrapped.
Another notable achievement was CX’s collaboration with ICC during the 2019 Men’s Cricket World Cup, a significant milestone considering the company’s nascent stage at that time.
What Lies Ahead?
“Our objective is to establish a space that is loved by all types of cricket fans and caters to everything they need – be it news about their favourite players, insights on fantasy cricket, or merchandise of their favourite teams,” says Prasenjit.
“Our vision is to create a product that fosters a sense of ownership and belonging among its users and creators, distinguishing us from being just another player in the market,” adds Rohit.
The firm is actively working on various predictive models to build a team generator tool that will cater to a large chunk of this fantasy sports audience. In addition, the firm is actively seeking investments as it plans to build an e-commerce section for cricket products, which necessitates funding for its development.
