What is fantasy cricket?
You pick eleven real cricketers from an upcoming match, and they score points for you based on what they actually do on the field. Here is how a match works from team selection to the final total.
Updated
The short version
Fantasy cricket is a game played alongside a real cricket match. Before the match starts you choose a team of real players from both sides. Every run, wicket, catch and stumping those players make in the real match earns fantasy points for your team. The person whose team scores the most points wins the contest or league.
Your team is virtual: it never plays. What you are really doing is predicting which players will have the biggest impact on that day, under those conditions.
How a match works, from start to finish
- Pick a match. Fantasy contests are built around a single real fixture, an IPL game or an India ODI for example. Season-long formats also exist, where you manage one squad across a whole tournament.
- Build your XI. You choose 11 players from the two squads. Every player has a credit price and your total spend is capped, commonly at 100 credits, so you cannot simply pick every star.
- Meet the role rules. The team must include wicket-keepers, batters, all-rounders and bowlers within set limits, and only so many players can come from one real team. See team combinations for the usual limits.
- Choose a captain and vice-captain. In most games the captain earns double points and the vice-captain one-and-a-half times. This is the single biggest decision you make. Our captain guide explains how to approach it.
- Lock in before the deadline. Teams usually lock when the match starts. Most players wait for the toss, when the confirmed playing XIs are announced, and then make final changes.
- Watch the points come in. Points update during the match as the scorers record each ball. The final total is confirmed after the match.
What earns points
Points come from three places, plus a multiplier:
| Area | What scores | What costs points |
|---|---|---|
| Batting | Runs, fours, sixes, milestones such as 30, 50 and 100, a high strike rate | A duck, a slow strike rate |
| Bowling | Wickets, bowled and LBW dismissals, maidens, multi-wicket hauls, a low economy rate | An expensive economy rate |
| Fielding | Catches, stumpings, run-outs | — |
| Selection | Being named in the playing XI | — |
Your captain's points are then doubled and your vice-captain's multiplied by 1.5. The full table, with a worked example, is on our fantasy cricket points system page.
Why all-rounders and openers matter so much
Because points come from batting, bowling and fielding, a player who does two of those has two chances to score. That is why all-rounders tend to be expensive and popular. Openers matter for a similar reason: in a T20 they face the most balls, so they have the most chances to build a big total and collect strike-rate bonuses.
Bowlers who bowl in the powerplay and at the death are often more valuable than their price suggests. Those phases produce the most wickets, and a three-wicket spell can outscore a fifty.
Formats: T20, ODI and Test
The same idea works in every format, but the scoring changes with it. T20 games reward fast scoring and wickets in short spells. ODI scoring usually gives smaller bonuses for boundaries but bigger ones for long innings. Test fantasy, where it is offered, rewards stamina: patient centuries and five-wicket hauls. Each app publishes separate tables for each format.
Single-match and season-long games
Most fantasy cricket in India has been played match by match: a new team for every fixture. Season-long games, like the official fantasy games run around some tournaments, give you one squad for the whole event with a limited number of transfers. They reward planning around the schedule, injuries and form over several weeks.
Is it legal to play?
Paid fantasy contests, where you put in money to win money, are online money games under India's Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, and are prohibited. Free-to-play fantasy games, where nobody stakes money, fall outside that ban. Read our full explainer: is fantasy sports legal in India?
Frequently asked questions
How many players are in a fantasy cricket team?
Eleven, the same as a real cricket XI. Some games also let you name substitutes or an Impact Player.
Do I need to know a lot about cricket?
It helps, but the basics are quick to learn. Knowing who opens, who bowls the death overs and how the pitch usually plays will take you a long way.
What happens if a player I picked does not play?
Usually that player scores zero, apart from any substitute points the game awards. That is why it is worth checking the confirmed XIs after the toss.
Can I change my team after the match starts?
In single-match games, no. The team locks at the deadline, normally the scheduled start time.