IPL 2021: Barber in Bihar's Madhubani wins Rs 1 crore in IPL Dream11 fantasy game, says will clear debts

A barber in Bihar’s Madhubani district has won Rs 1 crore as prize money from a virtual game called Dream11 during a match of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) UAE leg match that was held on 26 September. For Ashok Thakur, who runs a salon at Nanaur Chouk under the district’s Andhratharhi block, the top prize was an unexpected windfall. He added that he had never expected to win the top prize in the virtual game. Thakur plans to use the money to pay off his debts and then build a house for his family. He also said that he would continue his profession as a barber since he loves his job. After he had seen several promotional videos about contestants winning prizes in the IPL matches through the Dream11 game, Thakur decided to participate in the fantasy sports platform as well. His earlier attempts to win prizes were unsuccessful. However, his luck soon changed. During the match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) that took place on 26 September, Thakur formed a Dream11 team after investing Rs 49 in the game. His team got the highest points at the end of the game, enabling him to surpass over one million contestants and emerge as the winner. According to Thakur, the authorities have confirmed that he has won the amount. As per him, after the tax deductions, he will be entitled to about Rs 70 lakh, and the money would be credited to his account within the next two days. As per Nanaur panchayat mukhiya’s husband Baidyanath Ram, the news of Thakur’s victory has spread all over the area. The Dream11 fantasy sports league functions virtually and contestants are required to create a virtual team of 11 players from the two teams that would face off against each other in the live IPL match. The virtual team owner gets points depending on the boundaries hit, runs scored and wickets taken by the players during the particular match.