Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev has announced the launch of a daily fantasy sports platform, Apne 11. The announcement brings yet another entry in the growing fantasy sports gaming space of India.

The fantasy sports industry is booming as there has been a significant increase in the number of users, which grew from 0.2 crore in 2016 to 2 crores in 2018. The number has gone up to 5 crores in 2019.

“I am thrilled to be associated with Apne11 as it will present an open opportunity for millions to compete against one another and have the chance to connect with sports on an even deeper level than before.”, said Dev at the launch ceremony.

CEO of All India Gaming Federation, Roland Landers said “The Indian market is the fastest growing fantasy sports market in the world, the market is projected to touch $5 billion in the next two years.” Apne 11 founder Rahul Sethi added, “The gaming industry is undergoing a revolution and with one of the world’s largest youth populations, India is poised to become one of the world’s leading markets in the gaming sector. We want to make daily fantasy sports game experience simpler and reach tier 2 and tier 3 cities.”

Affordable smartphones and faster and cheaper internet has led to a tremendous increase in the gaming space of India. The current focus of Apne 11’s product design is going to be cricket and football, but in the coming years the platform is looking to include all types of sports under one brand.