With the cricket action now live with IPL, JetSynthesys, the developers behind multiple hit mobile cricket titles such as Sachin Saga Cricket Champions and Sachin Saga Pro Cricket have come up with another title in the genre named 2K Cricket, currently in the early access phase. You can build your dream team by opening packs, upgrading your players, and unlocking famous cricket grounds worldwide. In this 2K Cricket Beginner’s guide, I am going to discuss in detail the in-game resources and what they bring to your table and share some useful insights from my experience of playing this game.
Understanding the in-game resources
2K Cricket comes with Coins and Gems as the basic in-game resources. Coins serve as the primary currency and the majority of in-game spending that you make has to be with Coins. Let’s know in this segment, how we can earn these resources and their utility.
| In-Game Resources | Utility | How to earn them |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | 1. As an entry fee to Stadiums for playing matches 2. Upgrading/Leveling up your player cards | 1. Can be earned by winning 1V1 encounters 2. As Card Pack rewards. 3. As a purchase item from the Game’s Store section. |
| Gems | 1. Can be exchanged with Ball Packs that earn you special balls. 2. Can be utilized to fast-track unlocking of Card packs. | 1. Obtainable as level-up rewards 2. As Card Pack rewards. 3. As a purchase item from the Game’s Store section. |
Decoding the Basics of the Game
Now that we know about all the in-game resources, let us jump into the basics of this game:
- Each match in 2K Cricket is a 2-over per side encounter against users online.
- You need to spend some in-game Cash depending on the stadium that you want to play in, as an entry fee.
- As and when you are matched with an opponent, the match starts and you will have to alternately bat and bowl first.
- Make sure that you are taking calculated risks during batting as you will have only two wickets at hand.
- While bowling, you can switch to your pacer/spinner after each delivery.
Ensure that you are finding the gaps while batting
Batting in 2K Cricket simply demands you to swipe in the direction you want to play the stroke. To play a lofted drive, you just have to smash the Loft button before swiping on your screen. It’s only a two-over per side game so you have to go for the lofted ones from ball two or three if not from ball one.
However, make sure that you are placing the ball in the gap especially while going for the lofted ones. To see where the fielders are placed before a delivery, check out the field map located at the top-left corner of the playing screen. Going for the gaps would reduce your chances of getting out even if it is a mistimed shot and at least ensure a boundary.
Timing is the key
Immediately after you go for the swipe, an indicator at the top-right corner of your game screen will indicate your shot timing. If you happen to time the ball perfectly, the cursor will end up stopping in the green zone.
Timing is the absolute key factor in 2K Cricket. Make sure that you go for the swipe only when the ball hits the floor in case of a pitched-up delivery by a pacer. For yorker length deliveries, play the stroke a second earlier. In case of a spinner bowling, delay your shots a bit. Pay very detailed attention to your timing especially when you are going for the lofted hits since you have only two wickets in hand from the start.
Switch bowlers at regular intervals to make things difficult for your opponent
While you are bowling make sure to switch between a fast bowler and spinner after every delivery or two. Just as I discussed in the previous segment, the swiping time varies in the case of fast bowlers and spinners. This is something that can be difficult to adjust.
So, make sure that you are bringing in variations in line and length and also variations in bowling departments after every one or two balls to make life difficult for your opponent.
Utilize special balls in clutch moments for desired results
2K Cricket comes with some special balls like the Hurricane, Blizzard, and Thunder among a host of others. These ball packs can be either purchased from the game’s Store section or obtained as rewards from the Reward Pass or even from Packs. Special balls when utilized by your bowler enhance the swing or turn obtained from that delivery thereby increasing your chances of getting a wicket if your opponent goes on to play a rash shot.
However, these special balls are not that easily available in-game. Hence refrain from using them for every delivery that you bowl. Look for clutch moments when you are defending a total or are going for too many runs. 1 or two of these deliveries in the middle can slow things down a bit if not get you a wicket. However, don’t bowl a wayward line and expect these balls to do the rest for you. Keeping the lines tight is equally important even if you are utilizing these special deliveries.
2K Cricket Beginners Guide: Tips and Tricks
I will now take you across some handy tips and tricks that will help you accumulate XPs in no time and climb up the levels. I am sharing these tips and tricks from my experience of playing the game over the past month.
1. Don’t forget to check the Missions section daily
Each day when you log in, make sure that you check out the Missions section. The in-game Missions section primarily consists of three sections, namely, Watch and Win, Spin and Win, and Scratch and Win. Subject to the availability of ads, all of these sections help you earn some freebies.
The Watch and Win section for instance can earn you a whooping 1000 Coins each day. Similarly, the Spin and Win and Scratch and Win section can earn you resources like Gems, Coins, special balls, and Packs that include player cards. So make sure, you are checking out this section each day and cashing on the freebies.
2. Make sure that you are upgrading your Player cards whenever possible
To start with, 2K Cricket will only be providing you with Common player cards (OVR rating between 50-60). Leveling up your player cards unlocks some special skills which are unique to that player. It would enhance their in-game performance to a great extent which will be required given that you will be encountering online players in the game. To level up your players, adhere to the steps below:
- From the Home tab, navigate to the Player section.
- Next up, from the bunch of player cards that you own, choose the one you wish to upgrade by tapping on the Card.
- Finally, tap on the Upgrade option located towards the left of your player image.
To be eligible for an upgrade, your player card must accumulate a certain amount of Experience Points. These experience points can be accumulated by simply letting them feature in an Online game. Make sure that whenever they are available for an upgrade, you are quick enough to get the same done.
3. Unlock Rare and Legendary Player Cards to strengthen your line-up
As you go on leveling up by earning Experience Points, at one stage you will see a new in-game section, Players getting unlocked. This is a special section that lets you choose from a bunch of locked players. You can select any player and unlock him by spending some in-game Coins.
I suggest you guys, try and unlock the Rare and Legendary player cards whenever possible. Do not waste your resources on Common Player Cards as they won’t be adding much value to your already existing line-up of Common Player Cards.
Rare player cards usually consume a bit more in-game coins as compared to their Common counterparts. Be calculative in getting the Rare player cards. Say, for instance, a Rare Player Card consumes 1000 in-game coins and you have 1,200 in your inventory. Don’t go ahead with the unlocking since you also need in-game coins as an entry fee in online matches. It would then leave you with no coins to play matches.
Final Thoughts
Still in its early testing phase, 2K Cricket has gained massive popularity, thanks to its already popular developers. The team at JetSynthesys has done a decent job with 2K Cricket, to be honest. If they introduce multiple camera angles and allow players to decide on the field placements, things can be a bit more intriguing.
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That’s all for today’s 2K Cricket beginners guide. Did you find our 2K Cricket beginners guide helpful? Do let us know in the comments below!
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