There was recently a bit of a kerfuffle about who the Indian cricket team's next coach is going to be. Names like Tom Moody's and Mike Hesson's were floating around. But Ravi Shastri was ultimately retained for another term. The selectors had made their decision. And yet, that didn't stop everyone and their uncles from having an opinion on the matter, because really, what's the fun in being a sports fan if you can't put in your tuppence on the subject? Everybody, in that sense, is a closet MSK Prasad, the Indian team's chief selector. And that's one of the main reasons propelling the growth of fantasy sports gaming platforms (FSGPs) in the country.

There are other factors also, of course. Gaurav Assomull, co-founder of LivePools, one of the more recent entrants in this emerging market — where sites invite users to create their own virtual teams and win cash prizes — tells us that the recent spurt in online transactions in India encouraged him to take the plunge. There was also the fact that the country is one of the cheapest in the world when it comes to data and mobile Internet services. Then there's the rise in fortunes of tournaments like the IPL, ISL and Pro-Kabaddi League. Assomull says, "When you ultimately have properties like these pumping money into a sport, awareness about it builds. Your viewership goes up. But how do you make a sport even more interesting? One way is to develop a game version behind it where people can compete with friends and use their skills to make the right predictions. So, it's effectively all intertwined. The growth in infrastructure around technology, awareness, funding for different properties, and increased viewership have all propelled the [FSGP] industry."