With IPL just around the corner, the cricket fever is spreading far and wide. Our Apps caught a whiff of the same air. We present out first IPL entertainment app; The Gujarat Lions App.
IPL matches aren’t only about the play on the field, there is much glamour and buzz that’s generated around the teams off the field as well. Like club football, club cricket too enjoys a fan streak and  has die hard followers. Off the arenas, a lot of glitz and publicity surrounds the IPL matches and the IPL franchises.

The Buzz Around the The Gujarat Lions App

When it comes to PR and marketing, mobile solutions are the best way to connect with the masses. A fact that the Intex  Technologies, owner of the Rajkot franchise Gujarat Lions, was well aware of. The newest team in the tally saw mobility and apps as the perfect platform to connect with its existing fan base and spread it further. They approached Affle AppStudioz with the concept of an app that gamifies their interaction with their fans. Thus began this dream project of making the Gujarat Lions app for IPL.
As always, the experts at Affle AppStudioz were game for such a challenge. IPL fans in the house started building around the idea of an app that ensures absolute engagement and entertainment of the Gujarat Lions supporters and the IPL fan base. Spreading some cheer before the IPL season begins, is also a part of this app’s launch strategy.

The Concept

The app is conceptualized to keep the fans involved at every step.From the bidding before the madness begins, pre match contests, to guessing games and quizzes during the matches.
The very first event that announces the beginning of the IPL season is the bidding. Franchises bid for the players to make a dream team according to budgetary restrictions and optimized planning . This concept will be brought to life in the app as well. The fans will be handed over the control to vote for their favourite players and hence  they will bid  to make a team of their own choice. To make this experience slightly competitive, the person with a team closest to the one that would be bid for will get rewards and points.

The post match statistics

Crazy fans who idolize their favourite cricketers are also in for a treat. All the information regarding their favourite players, their performance graphs after every match that will occur, the press release after every match they will play, their Twitter handles and official Facebook pages will all be included in the same app. No need to skip from one page to another on Facebook, or to scroll up and down for news. The content worthy of being read will be curated on the app itself.

The Navigation Menu and options on the Gujarat Lions Apps

What’s more ? Once the IPL season starts, we plan to spruce things further by adding an exciting feature to the existing Gujarat Lions app.
To add more spice to the whole IPL mood, friendly betting will be introduced as a contest. Where unlike the scandalous betting rounds, people could play a clean guessing game and bet score points to win rewards sponsored by the franchise. Pre match predictions will be stored and then matched with the final result. This will keep the fans on the edge of their seats as their favourite teams clash on the field.

The App Design

The Gujarat Lions app is a hybrid app designed to be compatible with Android OS because a major chunk of the IPL audience exists within the country.  This app covers the operating system that’s most popular with the masses in the domestic circa .
Designed in Unity 3D, the app has beautiful animations and designs and is responsive on all devices. With new updates being already formulated in the Affle enterprise we are pretty excited to measure the audience’s response to our app.
We have been involved in the development of social media and entertainment apps before, but designing an application for a premier IPL  franchise has been quite an exhilarating experience. We hope that our app and the Gujarat lions go for the kill this IPL season.
For more information on entertainment and gamified app concepts stay tuned to our blog. Add to the discussion with your inputs on the same in the comments section.