Fantasy sports platform Playerzpot has roped in Indian cricket stars Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Smriti Mandhana as its brand ambassadors.

The partnership will see the cricketers in Playerzpot’s upcoming campaigns and promote the brand through engagement activities.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who will be representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2020, expressed his desire to know more about fantasy sports as a tool for fan engagement.

“As a cricket fan myself and fantasy league becoming a new trend, I wanted to witness how fans get involved in this fantasy gaming thing.

“Playerzpot connected me with that and I was very excited to see how they had created such a great platform to engage with fans and sports in general,” said Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Mitesh Gangar, the co-founder of Playerzpot, is confident of leveraging Bhuvneshwar Kumar's popularity to attract new users and stand out in the competitive fantasy gaming market.

"Bhuvneshwar has always been a vital part of team India with his skill set. With the kind of love and affection which he gets from across the audience is unbelievable. We believe his face will bring out the importance of how skills companies like us can outgrow competition," reckoned Gangar.

Historically, fantasy gaming has been dominated by males, with only 20 per cent of fantasy gamers being females, according to various reports.

However, the soaring popularity and success of female cricketers such as Smriti Mandhana could correct the gender imbalance and attract more females towards fantasy sports.

“In the current scenario, fantasy gaming in India is predominantly male-dominated. However, when it comes to skills and analysing ability, women are no less, the more the female participation, the better it is for sports in India.

“That was one of the many reasons we onboarded a female cricketer as we wanted to promote fantasy gaming amongst females,” explained Gangar.

Founded by Mitesh Gangar and Yogesh Doiphode in 2015, Playerzpot claims to have more than two million registered users on its fantasy gaming platform.

It currently features fantasy cricket, football, kabaddi, hockey, basketball, and baseball in its roster.

Playerzpot also claims to have the lowest commission in the fantasy sports industry and allows instant withdrawal of winnings.

The Navi Mumbai-based firm is now targeting sports fans based in lower-tier cities, where internet penetration has increased significantly in recent years.

"In the tier-2 and tier-3 space is where the majority of the Indian population lives, the gaming in this territory is unorganised and yet to flourish. With the association, we are aiming to outreach the inner circle and establish our brand amongst these people," revealed Gangar.