Fantasy Cricket Mobile App in .NET

 

1. Planning the Fantasy Cricket App

Key Features to Include:

• User registration and authentication

• Player selection interface

• Match scheduling and real-time updates

• Point calculation system

• Leaderboards and rankings

• Payment integration for contests

• Social sharing features

• Admin dashboard

2. Technology Stack Selection

Frontend Options:

• Xamarin.Forms (Cross-platform with .NET)

• .NET MAUI (Modern alternative to Xamarin)

• Blazor Hybrid (Web + native combo)

Backend:

• ASP.NET Core Web API

• SignalR for real-time updates

• Entity Framework Core for data access

Database:

• SQL Server or Azure Cosmos DB

Cloud Services (Optional):

• Azure App Service for hosting

• Azure Notification Hubs for push notifications

• Azure Storage for media files

3. Setting Up the Development Environment

1. Install Visual Studio 2022 (Community edition is free)

2. Select workloads:

   • Mobile development with .NET (for Xamarin/MAUI)

   • ASP.NET and web development

3. Install necessary SDKs (Android, iOS if targeting)

4. Set up emulators or connect physical devices

4. Project Structure

text

FantasyCricketApp/
├── FantasyCricket.Core/          # Shared business logic
├── FantasyCricket.Api/           # Web API project
├── FantasyCricket.Mobile/        # Mobile app (Xamarin/MAUI)
│   ├── Android/
│   ├── iOS/
│   └── Shared/
├── FantasyCricket.Admin/         # Admin web portal
└── FantasyCricket.Database/      # Database project

5. Implementing Core Features

User Authentication (Example using ASP.NET Core Identity)

csharp

// In Startup.cs
services.AddIdentity<ApplicationUser, IdentityRole>()
    .AddEntityFrameworkStores<ApplicationDbContext>()
    .AddDefaultTokenProviders();

// API Controller for registration
[HttpPost("register")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Register(RegisterModel model)
{
    var user = new ApplicationUser { UserName = model.Email, Email = model.Email };
    var result = await _userManager.CreateAsync(user, model.Password);
    
    if (result.Succeeded)
    {
        return Ok(new { Message = "User created successfully!" });
    }
    
    return BadRequest(result.Errors);
}

Player Selection UI (Xamarin.Forms Example)

xml

<!-- In PlayerSelectionPage.xaml -->
<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Players}">
    <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <Grid>
                <Image Source="{Binding ImageUrl}" />
                <Label Text="{Binding Name}" />
                <Label Text="{Binding Points}" />
                <CheckBox IsChecked="{Binding IsSelected}" />
            </Grid>
        </DataTemplate>
    </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
</CollectionView>

Real-time Updates with SignalR

csharp

// In Startup.cs
services.AddSignalR();

// Hub class
public class MatchHub : Hub
{
    public async Task SendMatchUpdate(MatchUpdate update)
    {
        await Clients.All.SendAsync("ReceiveMatchUpdate", update);
    }
}

// Client-side in mobile app
var connection = new HubConnectionBuilder()
    .WithUrl("https://your-api/matchhub")
    .Build();

connection.On<MatchUpdate>("ReceiveMatchUpdate", update => 
{
    // Update UI with new match data
    Device.BeginInvokeOnMainThread(() => {
        // Update scores, player points, etc.
    });
});

await connection.StartAsync();

6. Database Design

Key tables:

• Users

• Players (cricket players)

• Teams (user-created fantasy teams)

• Matches

• Contests

• UserContests (join table)

• PointsTransactions

csharp

// Example Entity Framework model
public class FantasyTeam
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string UserId { get; set; }
    public ApplicationUser User { get; set; }
    public int MatchId { get; set; }
    public Match Match { get; set; }
    public string TeamName { get; set; }
    public decimal TotalPoints { get; set; }
    public ICollection<FantasyTeamPlayer> Players { get; set; }
}

public class Player
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Role { get; set; } // Batsman, Bowler, All-rounder
    public string ImageUrl { get; set; }
    public decimal CreditValue { get; set; }
    public ICollection<PlayerMatchStat> MatchStats { get; set; }
}

7. Point Calculation System

csharp

public class PointCalculator
{
    public decimal CalculatePoints(PlayerMatchStat stats)
    {
        decimal points = 0;
        
        // Batting points
        points += stats.Runs * 1;
        if (stats.Runs >= 50) points += 8;
        if (stats.Runs >= 100) points += 16;
        
        // Bowling points
        points += stats.Wickets * 25;
        if (stats.Wickets >= 4) points += 8;
        if (stats.Wickets >= 5) points += 16;
        
        // Fielding points
        points += stats.Catches * 8;
        points += stats.Stumpings * 12;
        points += stats.RunOuts * 12;
        
        return points;
    }
}

8. Payment Integration

Example using Razorpay (or any other payment gateway):

csharp

[HttpPost("create-order")]
public IActionResult CreateOrder([FromBody] OrderRequest request)
{
    var options = new Dictionary<string, object>
    {
        { "amount", request.Amount * 100 }, // in paise
        { "currency", "INR" },
        { "receipt", $"order_{DateTime.Now.Ticks}" },
        { "payment_capture", 1 }
    };
    
    var client = new RazorpayClient("your_key_id", "your_key_secret");
    var order = client.Order.Create(options);
    
    return Ok(new { 
        orderId = order["id"],
        amount = order["amount"],
        currency = order["currency"]
    });
}

9. Admin Dashboard

Create a Blazor Server or MVC project for admin functions:

• Manage matches

• Update player stats

• Handle disputes

• Manage users

• Configure scoring rules

10. Testing and Deployment

Testing:

• Unit tests with xUnit/NUnit

• UI tests with Xamarin.UITest or Appium

• API testing with Postman

Deployment:

• API: Deploy to Azure App Service or AWS

• Mobile:

  • Android: Publish to Google Play Store

  • iOS: Publish to Apple App Store

• Database: Azure SQL or self-hosted SQL Server

11. Continuous Integration/Deployment

Set up Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions pipeline:

1. Build and test on commit

2. Deploy to staging

3. Manual approval for production

12. Maintenance and Updates

• Monitor with Application Insights

• Regular updates for:

  • New cricket tournaments

  • Player database updates

  • Feature enhancements

  • Security patches