Indian fantasy sports platform Faboom claims to have attracted 300 per cent more users during the coronavirus-induced lockdown that has also forced the Indian Premier League out of the country.

Sporting events across the globe were either halted or played without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. IPL 2020 is also being played behind closed doors.

The Indian Premier League, which has for long been the most popular cricket tournament in the world and generates record-breaking numbers every season, was shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this season.

“IPL is the biggest sports league which enjoys a huge fan following amongst cricket enthusiasts and is seen catching more traction by every passing year. The series of matches were enjoyed in the stadiums earlier but due to the current outbreak of the pandemic that hasn't been possible,” said Pratik Kumar, co-founder of Faboom.

Although IPL 2020 was shifted to the UAE and other major tournaments also took a hit, fantasy cricket platforms, including Faboom, have witnessed an increase in traction.

Kumar believes that the absence of fans from stadiums has encouraged them to engage on fantasy sports platforms, which has led to a three-fold growth of Faboom.

“Even during these trying times, people have been able to participate in fantasy gaming from the comfort of their homes and all the gaming apps have been witnessing an increasing engagement.”

“This has further resulted in 300 per cent growth of Faboom and is inspiring us to continue to elevate the level of sports in the country and beyond,” claimed Kumar.

Launched in 2019 by IIT-IIM alumni Pratik Kumar, Rishab Mathur, and Sudhir Kamath, Faboom runs two formats of fantasy sports called rank fantasy and boost fantasy where users do not need to choose a captain or a vice-captain but rank or boost all 11 players to win.

It won the Best Product Innovation award for its rank fantasy format from the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS).