How to play fantasy cricket
How to play fantasy cricket on Indian platforms: pick 11, choose captain and vice-captain, understand points, salary cap, and contest types....
Pick 11 within a salary cap
Every fantasy cricket contest on an Indian platform begins with a squad selection of 11 players from a real upcoming IPL match. Each player carries a salary based on recent form, role and opponent; the salary cap is typically 100 credits. You must pick 1-4 wicketkeeper, 3-6 batsmen, 1-4 all-rounders and 3-6 bowlers, with a maximum of 7 players from one franchise. The exact limits vary by operator; check the contest rules card before locking your squad. The platform auto-validates role split and franchise split before the deadline.
Captain and vice-captain scoring
Your captain scores 2x the points they earn in the real match; your vice-captain scores 1.5x. The captain choice is the single most consequential selection you make because the multiplier compounds on every scoring event - a captain who scores 80 runs and takes 2 catches will earn you roughly 250 fantasy points before the multiplier, then 500 after. Vice-captain is your hedge: if your captain underperforms, your vice-captain's 1.5x often carries the team. Avoid picking captain and vice-captain from the same franchise unless you have a strong reason.
Understanding the points system
A typical IPL fantasy points system awards: 1 point per run, 4 points per boundary, 6 points per six, 10 points per wicket (plus bonuses for bowled/LBW), 4 points per catch, 8 points per stumping, 12 points per run-out. Economy rate bonuses apply for bowlers under 6 runs per over; strike rate bonuses apply for batters above 130. Points are awarded in real time as the match progresses; the leaderboard updates every 30 seconds. Always check the operator's points table because the exact figures vary between Dream11, My11Circle, Vision11 and MPL.
Contest types and entry strategy
Contests break into three main types: head-to-head (50 percent winner take all), small league (3-10 players, 50-80 percent payouts to top finishers), and grand league (hundreds of players, top 10-25 percent paid, with the biggest prizes reserved for top-3 finishes). Beginner strategy: start with head-to-head contests at Rs 10-50 entry, graduate to small leagues after 20 matches of experience, and only enter grand leagues with lineups you would also put in a head-to-head. The iplfantasynow desk publishes captain picks and predicted XIs - use those as a starting point, then build your own reasoning on top.