T20 fantasy
Each side faces twenty overs and a typical innings finishes inside two hours. Contests are short, dense and high-variance: a single over can swing a contest. Strike rate, economy and boundary counts carry heavy weight.
Fantasy cricket
Reading fantasy cricket as a scoring game, not a tipping exercise
Fantasy cricket is a points-based game built on real cricket. Formats, points systems, captain and salary mechanics, and the reading patterns that turn a long contest into a series of small, checkable decisions all sit here.
Match readings tied to live fixtures
Fixture-specific Dream11 and salary-cap notes, newest first. Format explainers continue below.
- How to Play IPL Fantasy League 2026: Rules and Tips a Year After Publication 5 August 2026 · Retrospective · Times of Sports' 20 March 2026 guide, a season later
- IPL data analytics for fantasy selection: what still holds a year on 28 July 2026 · Retrospective · KreedOn's June 2025 playbook, a year later
- ZIM vs IND 1st T20I Dream11: fantasy reading for Harare series opener 23 July 2026 · Harare Sports Club · predicted XIs, pitch phases, captain options
- T20 captaincy multipliers: dual-path all-rounders versus volume batters 15 July 2026 · Desk note · captain and vice-captain structure
- Two-phase T20 pitch reading for salary-cap fantasy teams 14 July 2026 · Desk note · pace-early spin-later spend order
Frame
A points game, not a tipping game
Fantasy formats look similar in a feature comparison but behave very differently once the contest begins. T20 contests reward high-tempo scorers; ODI contests reward a day of accumulation; Test contests reward big innings and long spells. The points system shifts to match.
The shared structure is simple: a player assembles a virtual eleven from a real fixture list, every selection earns points from how he performs, and the fantasy team is ranked against other entries by total points.
T20, ODI and Test fantasy behave differently
The format of the underlying match sets the rhythm of the fantasy contest. A team built for T20 will usually underperform in a Test contest and vice versa.
ODI fantasy
Each side faces fifty overs split into Powerplay, middle and death phases. A fifty in 60 balls scores differently from a fifty in 35 balls because the table typically weights strike rate against a benchmark such as 130 or 150.
Test fantasy
Each side faces two innings across up to five days. Tables reward centuries, five-wicket hauls and big partnerships more heavily because the absolute numbers are larger. A Test century is worth substantially more than a T20 fifty.
| Element | T20 | ODI | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match length | ~3 hours | ~8 hours | Up to 5 days |
| Powerplay treatment | First six overs weighted | First ten overs weighted | No formal powerplay |
| Batting emphasis | Strike rate first, runs second | Strike rate above benchmark | Big innings (100, 200) |
| Bowling emphasis | Economy, wickets, dot balls | Wickets, economy, milestones | Five-wicket hauls, match returns |
| Fielding emphasis | Catches, run-outs, stumpings | Same, scaled similarly | Same, with high-catch bonus |
| Contest window | One match | One match or series | One match (multi-day slate) |
How batting, bowling and fielding are scored
Each contest publishes a points table for its matches. Reading that table carefully is more useful than any captaincy tip sheet — it tells the reader which actions the contest actually rewards. Numbers vary by provider and format; the examples below show the shape of a typical T20 table, not a universal rule.
Batting
A run is worth a base (commonly one) in many tables. Boundary bonuses stack on top — often around 4 for a four and 6 for a six in T20. Milestone bonuses add +4 or +8 at fifty and +8 or +16 at a hundred. Strike-rate bonuses kick in above a benchmark such as 130 or 150; a duck usually subtracts points. Test tables typically weight centuries and double-centuries more heavily.
Bowling
A wicket is often worth a base of 25 to 31 in T20, with bonuses for the mode of dismissal. Bowled or LBW usually earns more than caught because the table rewards the bowler's agency. Economy bonuses reward finishers under a benchmark such as six runs an over; maiden overs often receive a small additional reward. ODI and Test tables place heavier weight on five-wicket hauls.
Fielding
Catches are typically worth a small flat number; stumpings and direct-hit run-outs are worth more. Fielding points are quiet — single-digit rubrics on the table — but add up over a contest, particularly for close-catching fielders. ICC-format fantasy games run with a different shape entirely.
Reading a points table like a contract
A points table is a contract between the contest and the player. It names, in numbers, which actions the contest will pay for. A reader who treats it that way — checking each line item against the format, the pitch, the role and the platform's own current rules — will build teams differently from one who treats it as background detail. When in doubt, the contest's official scoring page is the source that overrides any third-party guide.
The multipliers that drive the leaderboard
Most major fantasy contests name a captain and a vice-captain whose points are multiplied by a factor that the contest defines. Multiplier values vary by platform and by contest — check the contest's current rules page before locking a team. The multipliers are usually the largest source of variance in a fantasy score, which is why the picks receive more analytical weight than any other selection.
Captain — the larger multiplier
Each team names one captain whose points are multiplied — commonly 2x in Dream11-style formats, sometimes 3x in special contests. A 2x captain on a fifty that scored 80 raw points gives the fantasy team 160 from that one innings. Some formats run without any multiplier at all; the contest rules page is the place to confirm which scheme is in use.
Vice-captain — the secondary multiplier
In formats that use one, the vice-captain's points are multiplied by a smaller factor — commonly 1.5x in Dream11-style contests. ICC-format fantasy games are an example of a contest that does not use a vice-captain multiplier at all — only the captain is multiplied, and there is no budget to manage. What happens when the captain does not play depends on the platform: some contests void the multiplier entirely, some apply it to a bench fallback, others substitute the vice-captain, and some simply score the captain's pick at zero. The contest's official rules page names the actual policy in use.
Working example — the multiplier in numbers
In a contest that uses 2x and 1.5x multipliers, a captain who scores 75 raw and a vice-captain who scores 60 produce 150 and 90 after multiplication — 240 combined — out of a total that often runs 500 to 900 in a full contest. The two captaincy picks therefore account for between roughly a quarter and a third of the team's total before any other selection is considered. ICC-format fantasy games, where only the captain is multiplied, produce a different distribution: the captain's share of the total tends to be larger and the rest of the team contributes relatively less.
How the team budget forces trade-offs
Most fantasy contests assign a notional salary to each player in the pool. The squad of eleven must be selected so that the sum of their salaries does not exceed a fixed ceiling. The cap is what stops every fantasy team from being identical. ICC-format fantasy games are a notable exception: the contest uses a fixed five-player match format with no budget at all — selection is restricted by role limits rather than salary.
1
The cap is fixed where it applies
A common ceiling in Dream11-style formats is 100 credits. Every squad has the same to spend, so the contest becomes a question of allocation rather than whether to spend. Some contests set a smaller or larger ceiling, and a few do not use a cap at all.
2
Salaries reflect role and form
Top-order batters, frontline bowlers and all-rounders tend to command the highest salaries. In-form players usually get a temporary bump; out-of-form players drift down. Salaries are set before the lock and any later changes are not applied to the existing contest.
3
The cap creates differentiation
Because the ceiling is fixed, picking one high-salary star forces a low-cost selection elsewhere. That low-cost pick is where leaderboard positions are often won — a 7.5-credit player who scores 60 raw points adds more than the same player's points on a salary-free team would.
4
Working example — the budget math
With a 100-credit ceiling and eleven picks, the average salary sits around 9.1 credits. A team built from 10–11 credit stars needs three or four 7–8 credit picks to stay under the cap. That spread gives a fantasy team its shape. In contests that don't use a cap, selection is shaped by role requirements and squad-size limits instead.
Why WK, BAT, AR and BWL behave differently
Most contests sort the pool into four roles — wicketkeeper (WK), batter (BAT), all-rounder (AR) and bowler (BWL). The label sets eligibility and signals the kind of scoring the contest expects.
Points from batting plus a stumping bonus and a flat bonus per catch behind the stumps. Most keepers bat in the middle order.
Points from runs, boundaries and milestones. No bowling points. Strike-rate bonuses are weighted more heavily in T20 than ODI or Test.
Points from both batting and bowling. The role label carries the most weight under the salary cap because all-rounders score from more innings per match than pure batters or bowlers.
Points from wickets, economy and dot balls. Lower-order batting is usually too small to move a score, so points come almost entirely from the ball.
Working example — role and points in one match
A wicketkeeper-batter who scores 35 off 28 balls with two catches and one stumping lands roughly 50 to 70 raw points in a T20 contest. A frontline bowler who takes 3 for 24 in four overs with two maidens lands a similar total. The roles produce comparable points from different actions, which is why a balanced squad tends to be more stable than one that overweights a single role.
What the percentage number actually tells the reader
Most major contests publish a selection percentage for each player — the share of competing fantasy teams that have picked him. Some platforms do not show selection data at all; on those, leaderboard gaps can still be read from rank movement, but the percentage is the cleanest signal when it is available.
Three things the percentage does not say
It does not say the player is good — a high percentage on a poor player simply means lots of teams picked the same. It does not predict the points the player will score. It does not account for differential scoring — a player picked by 5% of teams who then performs well creates a much larger leaderboard gap than one picked by 80%.
The percentage is most useful as a measure of how differentiated a pick is from the rest of the field. Players in the 60–80% band are usually mandated; players in the 1–10% band are where leaderboard positions are won.
Working example — selection % in numbers
Consider a contest of 10,000 fantasy teams. A player picked by 9,000 teams who scores 80 raw points adds 80 to every team that selected him and 80 to almost no team that didn't — only 1,000 didn't. The points move everyone almost in lockstep. A player picked by 500 teams who scores 80 raw points lifts those 500 entries meaningfully above the field. That gap is the leaderboard.
Patterns that show up in losing entries
Most losing entries don't fail because of bad luck. They fail because the team was built around patterns that are easy to spot after the contest and hard to spot during it.
Picking on reputation alone
The highest salary in the pool is not always the highest-expected-points pick. Reputation is a reasonable tiebreaker; it is a poor first filter. Recent form, the matchup and the pitch should outrank name recognition.
Ignoring the points table
Many beginners select eleven cricketers they would pick in a "who wins the match" discussion and wonder why the points don't add up. The points table is the bridge between real cricket and fantasy — treating it as a footnote is the most common cause of underperformance.
Locking the captain on the safest pick
The captain is a multiplier, not a vote of confidence. Picking the obvious star is fine when his expected score is well above the field — usually batting first on a flat pitch. Picking because "he will get some points" rather than because he has a clear ceiling is a reliable way to underperform on the multiplier. The contest's expected-points calculator, when one is provided, is a more honest basis than name recognition.
Two more patterns worth naming
Ignoring toss news. In shorter formats the toss outcome (bat or bowl first) materially changes expected points, and contests that allow late swaps until the toss reward readers who wait. Treating role balance as decoration. A squad with eight batters and three bowlers will sometimes score well in a high-scoring match, but the median across a season is lower than a balanced squad's because bowling points offer a steadier baseline than top-order batting points.
A working checklist before each team lock
Five checks turn a guess into a documented decision. They are short on purpose — a checklist that fits on a card is more likely to be used than one that sprawls across an entire reading.
1
Read the points table
Open the contest's points table before any selection is made. Note the strike-rate benchmark, the economy benchmark and the dismissal bonuses — those three numbers drive more differential scoring than any other line items.
2
Check the salary cap
Sketch a salary map before picking. A reader who plans for the cap picks more deliberately than one who discovers it mid-selection.
3
Confirm the roles
Each contest sets its own minimum and maximum role requirements. Dream11-style formats commonly allow something like 1–4 WKs, 3–6 BATs, 1–4 ARs and 3–6 BWLs; ICC-format contests use a tighter five-player squad. Check the contest's role limits before submitting so the squad is eligible under that contest's rules.
4
Pick captain and vice-captain last
Picking the multipliers after the rest of the team is in place lets them fall on the highest-expected-points players rather than on picks already committed to.
5
Wait on toss news
Where late swaps are allowed, the toss is the last decision point. A team that locks before the toss plays a different contest from one that locks after it.
Common questions about how the game works
What is fantasy cricket?
A points-based game in which a player assembles a virtual eleven from a real fixture list. Every selection earns points from his actual on-field performance, and the fantasy team is ranked by total points. The frame is the same across T20, ODI and Test, but the points table, squad size and captaincy mechanic change by provider — always check the specific contest's rules before locking.
How does the captain and vice-captain multiplier work?
In Dream11-style formats each team names one captain and one vice-captain. The captain's points are multiplied — commonly by 2x — and the vice-captain's by a smaller factor, commonly 1.5x. ICC-format fantasy games use a different scheme: only the captain is multiplied and there is no vice-captain. What happens when the captain does not play depends on the contest — some void the multiplier, others substitute the vice-captain, others score the captain's pick at zero. The contest's own rules page is the source that overrides any general guide.
How does the salary cap work?
In Dream11-style formats every player in the pool is assigned a notional salary. The eleven must be chosen so those salaries sum to a fixed ceiling (commonly 100 credits) without exceeding it. The cap forces trade-offs between proven stars and in-form picks and is the main source of differentiation between fantasy teams. ICC-format fantasy games are a notable exception — they use a five-player format with no salary cap at all, so selection is shaped by role requirements alone.
Do T20, ODI and Test fantasy use the same points table?
No. Each format uses a table tuned to its scoring rhythm. T20 tables reward strike rate heavily; ODI tables balance accumulation with run rate against a benchmark; Test tables weight centuries, five-wicket hauls and big-innings bonuses because of the longer innings lengths involved.
What is selection percentage and how should it be read?
Selection percentage is the share of competing fantasy teams that have picked a given player. A 90% selection moves the leaderboard only marginally; a 5% selection on a player who then performs well is what creates differentiation between the top of the leaderboard and the rest of the field.
Move from fantasy fundamentals into match reading
The points table tells the reader which actions are rewarded; the match-analysis frameworks tell the reader which players are most likely to take those actions. Pair the two and team selection becomes a documented decision instead of a guess.