Trying to guess the outcome of a match has always been part of the thrill of sports. From bookmakers who need to set the odds, to fans debating in their community. The urge to predict what might happen on the field and what the outcome would be is as old as the games themselves.
The urge to predict the outcome of a match drove experts to build a prediction model. This was the basis for what’s now known as the Simulated Reality League, a way for fans to enjoy cricket even during the off-season.
What Is A Simulated Reality League?
Unlike actual sports that take place on a physical field with real players, a Simulated Reality League is a simulated match. In short, it’s a virtual sporting event made with computer graphics imaging.
However, an SRL isn’t the same as computer games. It’s more realistic as it simulates real-world scenarios. The players, teams, and events taking place in SRLs are those that exist in reality, and many sports betting sites, such as Sportsbet, accept SRL betting the same way they accept real sports betting.
To ensure the simulation can replicate real-world events or real players’ stats, developers behind SRL gather around 500 past fixtures of the players or teams. They consider their vital statistics, professional history, and their form. The aim is to ensure the results of the simulation can be as accurate as possible.
Not only for the players and teams, developers also consider the climate of the place where the match is played. So, the simulation can deliver an experience that’s highly similar to real cricket matches, which fans can predict and bet on.
The Idea Behind The Simulated Reality League
Before the global competitions, experts, especially bankers and bookmakers, would try to predict the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar’s winner. Nick Barlow leads research alongside his team at the Alan Turing Institute. The goal is to craft a user-friendly model that anyone can use on their devices.
With this model, people should be able to ‘predict’ the outcome of a match. When used for the FIFA World Cup, they received a big winning potential by percentage for Brazil. The machine ran 100,000 tournament runs to come to this conclusion. It analyzes various factors, such as the team’s attack and defense quality. It’ll also compare each participating team’s strengths and consider the results of their previous games.
Another model was made by Achim Zeileis at the University of Innsbruck, and it came to the same conclusion that Brazil would likely be the model. Zeileis’ model also analyzes multiple factors that can contribute to the team’s performance. These include evenly distributed goals and collective player value.
The prediction was a miss as Argentina took the win on penalties. However, these prediction models sparked an idea for the Simulated Reality League. Not only for fans’ entertainment, but also for teams to simulate their strategies and see if there are holes they need to fix in their plans.
How SRL Appeals To Many
Although SRL isn’t the same as real cricket, it offers several plus points that real sports events can’t provide. Here are some of the qualities of SRL that make it popular.
Accessibility And Availability
When fans want to bet on cricket, they must first wait for the event to come. When it’s off-season, they won’t have any cricket matches to bet on. However, SRL matches are available 24/7. It doesn’t matter when; anyone would be able to find an SRL event accepting bets.
This makes it easy for cricket fans who find it hard to follow live cricket matches due to different time zones. For those who want to enjoy cricket when it’s not in season, SRL is also a great alternative that can give them a similar cricket experience.
Less Predictable
SRL progresses based on the data that the machine has analyzed and stored. They’re based on real events, real players, and real teams. However, the outcomes of SRLs are still less predictable than real-life matches. For some cricket fans, SRL offers more thrill due to this unpredictability. On the other hand, it may be seen as more volatile and risky than real cricket.
Has A Wide Range of Choices
SRLs aren’t just for cricket. All sports fans would be able to enjoy SRL, as there are simulations for various sports, including popular options like soccer, basketball, tennis, and many more. Regardless of which sport is off season, fans will always be able to bet on their chosen sport through SRL.
Less Risk
In terms of results, SRL might be more unpredictable. However, because SRLs simulate matches based on the data the machine had gathered, there’s less chance of sudden player withdrawals, injuries, or other unprecedented occurrences that would usually affect real-life sporting matches. When the bettor has been faithfully following their chosen sports’ previous data and team patterns, it’ll be easier for them to make informed decisions.
Immersion And Realism
SRLs are built to mimic real-life sports events. Bettors will get to enjoy high-quality graphics, players with skills that mirror their real-life counterparts, and realistic matchday conditions that can affect the game. The algorithms decide the outcome of every movement, using the data of each player’s capabilities as a foundation.
Surprise moments will feel highly realistic. It’ll also feature virtual commentaries that will amplify the immersion even more. Visually, it’s on par with sports games like NBA2K and FIFA, but the outcome and players’ reactions will mirror their real counterparts. Bettors will also be able to hear the sound of the game and the audience’s cheering as if they’re physically in the stadium.
Fast-Paced Nature
When bettors want to wager on live IPL, they must follow all updates about the sport before the match. Then, they also need to know when the match will take place to fully know how it goes and the result of their bet. SRL eliminates this need, as bettors can start betting anytime, and SRL matches end in a shorter timeframe.
For bettors who want to enjoy cricket or other sports but don’t have too much time on their hands, SRL is the best solution. They can get a similar experience of watching and betting on a live game in a single day.