Entertainment
IPL: Not Anushka but Kohli praises this person for victory against KXIP
After registering their first victory at home in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), an elated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli has credited the outcome to his bowlers, especially Umesh Yadav.
Chasing 155 for victory against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Friday, host RCB romped home in 19.3 overs, thanks to some fine knocks by Quinton de Kock (45), AB de Villiers (57) followed by Mandeep Singh’s 22, down the order.
After losing their IPL opener against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), RCB was eyeing a win at home and Umesh’s 3/23 restricted the opponents to a chaseable total.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Kohli said: “Very happy. First home game is crucial. Last year, we couldn’t get off to a start. The crowd has a lot of expectations, and tonight was a game we wanted badly, especially in the initial stages of the tournament.”
“We knew the new ball will come on nicely, and the batsmen hit some good shots. Umesh bowled well, getting three wickets in an over is great,” expressed the 29-year-old.
Kohli further said: “Our mindset is — we want our best bowlers to step up and get confident early on. When only five are playing, you have to hit your areas well. They (bowlers) have done well.”
Umesh, who was also adjudged the Player of the Match, said he enjoyed a lot of freedom from his skipper and bowling coach Ashish Nehra.
“I was backing myself and my strengths, bowling quick at the stumps. Whatever you want, you do it is what Kohli and the coach tells,” said the pacer.
Despite being at the receiving end, Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin appreciated his team and felt his boys gave a tough fight.
“I am really proud of the way the boys fought. Always thought we had our backs against the wall because we were about 20-30 short. Still we fought hard and I am proud of the guys,” said the KXIP skipper.
Ashwin, who was appointed the skipper ahead of the season, said he is enjoying to be on the driving seat.
“It’s good so far, I am really enjoying it. Cannot ask for anything better from the boys,” he opined.
Both the sides have now a win from couple of games.
While RCB will next take on Rajasthan Royals at home on Sunday, KXIP will clash against Chennai Super Kings in Mohali on the same day.
Entertainment
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
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