Indians love cricket. And everything about it. So much so that casual discussions can lead to arguments and even full-fledged debates are not really out of contention. Playing the game aside, we love to talk about the players, their life and the game in general. In essence, Cricket may not be our national game, but it enjoys the level of popularity in our country of which other games can only feel jealous about.
Now, 2018’s first IPL season is almost upon us – it is starting from April 8 and will go on for about a month delivering full cricket mayhem. And while most of us will be glued to our TV screens, having one or more cricket game apps in our smartphones can take the cricket fun even higher.
So here we list down what we feel are some of the best free Cricket game apps to have in your smartphone:
1. Real Cricket 18 – Newer version of Real Cricket 17, the Real Cricket 18 is a highly indulging cricket game for smartphone users. The attention to detail is quite impressive – there is pre-match studio conversation (just like how it happens in real) then there’s proper in-game commentary as well as crowd cheering in the background. Other than this, there are some basic features of picking a team of your choice. Also, there is an option to even select whether the user wants to play a Day match or a Night match.
During gameplay, if you choose to Bat first, you are allowed to pick up your opening batsmen including which player to choose as a non-striker. Once the gameplay begins, you have a range of controls from the kind of shot you wish to play to the power you want to execute it with. Same in the case of bowling, you can select the side (around the wicket or over the wicket) as well as the kind of bowl and where to put it on the pitch.
Graphics are passable at best, but that’s really not a worrisome concern. Any in-game ads can be skipped.
Developer – Nautilus Mobile
2. Super Cricket 2 – This is a much simpler cricket gaming app compared to the Real Cricket 18. Controls are absolutely basic, for example, tapping on the right side of the screen as a batsman will have the game execute the shot on the right side. Depending on the kind of bowling, the game will automatically choose the kind of the shot to be played. As a user, we just have to tap on the screen, the game will do the rest. Same with the bowling as well.
There’s no pre-match talk neither is there any in-game commentary. Graphics are absolutely basic and ignorable. At the same time, it is a simple game that doesn’t really involve any stress or huge amount of concentration or thinking to play. It can be a good time pass in case anyone is looking to play a cricket game with less time to spare.
Developer – Nikhil Suresh
3. Sachin Saga Cricket Champions – This game has the best in-game graphics of all the games listed in this article. Even the player animations are very realistic which overall enhances the gameplay experience. The gameplay controls are somewhere in between Super Cricket 2 and Real Cricket 18. As a batsman, the player can choose to play different shots by way of variety of swipe gestures on the screen, but it may not guarantee the exact shot intended. We believe with regular practice a person can get better at it.
Also, since this game is based on Sachin Tendulkar, there is a Legend mode where the player plays as Sachin and follows a storyline from his early cricketing days to his unmatchable international status. Furthermore, there is an Event mode as well to play the game in a normal fashion by choosing teams and so on.
However, in-game ads that cannot be skipped are a spoil-sport. They might be few but big irritants nevertheless.
Developer – JetSynthesys Inc
4. World Cricket Championship 2 – This game is very similar to the Real Cricket 18 in terms of the available in-game controls. As a batsman or a bowler, the player can quite accurately choose to deliver the shot or the bowl respectively. However, in our experience, we prefer the gameplay controls of the Real Cricket 18 as they are easier to understand and hence, easier to master.
In-game graphics are once again as good as the RE 18 keeping both of them behind Sachin Saga in this respect. However, the in-game ads are a deal breaker and while some of them can be skipped, some cannot be. Also, some ads are force-fed because they earn the user game currency (coins) that are required for gameplay.
Developer – Nextwave Multimedia
Our vote is for the Real Cricket 18 for the most indulgent of players, however, we would like to point out that for the more casual player, the Super Cricket 2 makes for a far better choice as it demands less concentration during gameplay. Also, neither game has ads so that is a plus point for both.