From formats primer to your first XI.
A short, ordered guide to fantasy cricket for new players. The desk covers the formats, the salary cap, the captain pick, and the verification steps that apply on every licensed operator.
Step 01 — Pick a format
Each format has its own fantasy architecture. Pick the format that matches the contest you want to enter.
T20
Twenty overs. Top-order batters and four-over bowlers hold the role map. Death-overs finishers score the ceiling.
Read the primerFormatODI
Fifty overs. Middle-overs control and fifth-bowler workloads move the fantasy ledger.
Read the primerFormatTest
Four innings. Phase ownership and patience dominate the role map.
Read the primerStep 02 — Read the captain framework
The captain pick is the highest-leverage decision in your XI. Three conditions have to hold.
Condition 1 — Role
Top-order batting plus four-over bowling, or stable access to high-volume scoring chances. Anything less is a coin flip.
Condition 2 — Venue
The strip supports the role — not the reputation, the strip in use. Check the last four matches at the venue.
Condition 3 — Toss
The toss is either irrelevant or in the player’s favour. Evening T20s favour the chase at ~52% over the last 50 matches.
Step 03 — Build the XI within the cap
A worked example on a 100-credit budget.
| Slot | Player | Role | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain (2x) | R. Sharma | Opener · RHB | 11.0 |
| Vice-captain (1.5x) | K. Ahmed | Spinner · SLA | 9.0 |
| WK-Batter | R. Pant | WK · LHB | 9.5 |
| Batter | S. Iyer | No. 4 · LHB | 10.5 |
| Batter | Y. Dayal | Pacer · RHF | 8.5 |
| All-rounder | H. Pandya | All-rounder · RHM | 10.0 |
| All-rounder | A. Patel | All-rounder · SLA | 9.0 |
| Bowler | J. Bumrah | Pacer · RHF | 11.0 |
| Bowler | R. Khan | Spinner · LB | 8.0 |
| Bowler | M. Shami | Pacer · RHF | 9.5 |
| Batter | S. Samson | WK-Batter · RHB | 8.0 |
| Total credits used | 100.0 | ||
Set a fixed entertainment budget before you enter a contest. Never borrow to play. Step away when the game stops feeling controlled. The responsible-play route is the desk’s reference for the discipline framework.
Open the next route.
Open the fantasy-tips hub for the full selection framework, or jump to the app guide for the install workflow.