Fantasy cricket tips that survive a long season.
Captain math, salary-cap discipline, role balance, and contest-specific strategy — the playbook the desk uses to win cash and GPP contests over a season, not just a single match.
Process first. Captain second.
Consistent winners repeat the same four-step process before every contest.
The four-step process for picking a captain.
This is the desk's repeatable captaincy method — used to pick the consensus option and the contrarian option, side by side.
Set the contest type
Cash contests reward high-floor players. GPP contests reward ceiling. The captain pick changes based on which one you entered.
Lock the venue read
Surface, dew, boundary dimensions — these set the role priorities for the night and rule out captains whose profile doesn't match.
Build the role core
Two anchors, one accelerator, two specialist bowlers, one all-rounder, one differential. Then assign the captain multiplier.
Stress test the lineup
Re-rank the captain by likely outcome range. A captain that wins 30/70 beats one that wins 50/50 in a 1,000-entry field.
How fantasy points actually add up.
The full scoring map and the role-by-role split that wins contests over a season.
| Action | Points | Role context |
|---|---|---|
| Run scored | +1 | Floor for any batter |
| Boundary bonus | +4 | Compounds on strike rotation |
| Six bonus | +6 | Highest ceiling per ball |
| Half-century | +4 / +8 | Bonus scales with milestone |
| Wicket (bowler) | +25 | Dominant single event |
| Maiden over | +4 | Pressure premium |
| Catch | +8 | Reliable for fielders |
| Stumping | +12 | Wicketkeeper ceiling |
| Captain multiplier | 2x | The single biggest decision |
| Vice-captain | 1.5x | Only counts if captain doesn't play |
Spend the last 5% on the right name.
The salary-cap tax is the most common leak in submitted lineups. Here's how to use the last 5% of the cap on a player who actually moves the projection.
Three rules for the last 5%
- Don't fill the cap with the most expensive name. The ceiling is similar at 80-90% of the top price.
- Use the last 5% on the differential, not the captain. Differential picks have a wider ownership-to-projection gap.
- Skip the last 5% if the differential is weak. A saved 5% is worth a clear upgrade at the next contest.
Most of the desk's cash-game lineups leave 1-3% of the cap unused. The pressure to "fill the cap" costs more contests than it wins.
Form is a four-match window, not a season.
The mistake most fantasy players make is overweighting season-long averages and underweighting the most recent matches. The desk uses a four-match window as the default.
Why a four-match window works
Below four matches, the sample is too small. Above four, role changes and form cycles start to flatten the signal. The window captures enough variance to be meaningful, but not so much that it drowns in season-long noise.
- Boundary rate in the last four innings
- Strike rate against pace / spin in the last four innings
- Dot ball % in the last four overs (for bowlers)
- Minutes / overs role security check
Cash vs GPP: how the captain changes.
The same fixture can call for two different captains depending on the contest type. Here's how the desk decides between the consensus and the contrarian option.
High-floor captain
The captain is the player most likely to score 40-60 fantasy points — a high floor with a high ownership. The line wins or loses on the team's aggregate, not on the captain's variance.
- Consensus ownership is high — that's the point
- Role security is the top filter
- Don't pay up for ceiling in a cash game
High-ceiling captain
The captain is the player with the widest outcome range — a high ceiling and a low ownership. The line wins on a single hot performance that no one else picked.
- Lower ownership, higher variance
- Role changes or recent minutes jump the projection
- Pay up for ceiling when the contest pays top heavy
Tips, frequently asked.
Common questions about captaincy, salary, and contest structure.
How do I pick between two strong captain options?
Default to the contest type: cash game → high-floor captain, GPP → high-ceiling captain. If both options fit the contest type equally, check ownership — pick the one the field is least likely to captain in a GPP.
Is there a value threshold for the captain pick?
Yes. The desk's default is to pay 1.5-2x the average player salary for the captain in a cash game, and up to 2.2x in a GPP if the ceiling is real. Paying more for a marginal ceiling gain is the most common leak.
How do I keep up with role changes?
The desk tracks role changes in the player directory — minutes played, batting position shifts, and bowling order changes are flagged weekly. Most role changes are telegraphed in the net session before the official announcement.
Do these tips apply to women's cricket?
Yes, with one tweak: ownership in women's fixtures is much lower, which means the captain pick has higher variance and higher leverage. Pick the captain with the strongest role security, not the highest recent score.
Use the playbook tonight.
The same four steps, applied before every contest, add up to a season of better decisions.
How the desk thinks about the bankroll.
Captaincy is the day's call. The bankroll is the season's call. The two have to be separated, and the desk's view is short and uncompromising.
The 1-2% rule
The desk's standing rule for entry fee: no single contest entry should exceed 1-2% of the season bankroll. Below 1% is conservative; above 2% is variance-heavy and exposes the season to a single bad run. Most desk readers land in the 1% range for GPPs and the 2% range for cash games.
Cash vs GPP allocation
Cash games are the floor — high-floor players, high-floor captains, conservative role mix. GPPs are the ceiling — high-ceiling captains, contrarian differentials, larger field exposure. The desk's default is 60% cash / 40% GPP for season-long bankrolls, adjusted for risk profile.
Don't tilt
Tilt is the single most common bankroll-killer in fantasy cricket. Tilt is the impulse to enter a 5x stake contest after a 0x captain pick. The desk's rule: when tilt shows up, the day's entries are reduced, not increased. The season is longer than the day.
Track everything
The desk's published captaincy log is the same discipline every reader should apply: a record of every entry, the captain pick, the result, and the lesson. Tracking is the cheapest single upgrade a fantasy player can make — and the most skipped.
The desk's bankroll checklist
- 1-2% per entry — no single entry over 2% of bankroll
- 60/40 split — cash floor, GPP ceiling
- No tilt days — reduce entries after a 0x captain, don't increase them
- Daily log — record every entry with captain and result
- Weekly review — what worked, what didn't, and why
- Seasonal reset — adjust allocation at the half-season mark
The bankroll is the part of fantasy cricket that no one talks about at the pub. It's also the part that decides whether you finish the season or quit after match 7. The desk's view: bankroll discipline is the captaincy that compounds.
Where the tips page hands off.
The tips page is the methodology. The other pages on the desk put the methodology into action.
The desk's calls
The predictions page is where the tips page is applied — every fixture, every captain pick, every differential. Updated as team news arrives.
Predictions →The reference desk
The tools page is the desk's reference desk — points, salary cap, form window, the four signals. Use it as a checklist, not a calculator.
Tools →The player desk
The player profiles are where the tips meet the names. Form, role, venue — the four signals applied to a single player, watchlist updated weekly.
Players →Role-by-role projection.
Each role projects fantasy points differently. Here's the long-form version of how the desk reads the role-by-role projection.
Top-order batter
The top-order batter's projection is built from powerplay intent, recent boundary rate, and venue dimensions. A top-order batter with high powerplay intent on a short straight boundary projects higher than an accumulator on the same venue. Role security is the top filter — a top-order batter who batted at number 3 in the last match projects differently from one who batted at number 5.
Middle-order batter
The middle-order batter's projection is built from finishing role, six-bonus rate, and recent death-overs intent. A middle-order batter with a defined finishing role projects higher than one whose role is in question. The six-bonus rate in the last four innings is the cleanest read on middle-order intent.
Pace bowler
The pace bowler's projection is built from wicket rate, dot ball percentage, and venue bounce. A pace bowler with high wicket rate on a bouncy venue projects higher than one with similar wicket rate on a flat deck. Death-overs usage is the second filter — death-overs bowlers with yorker accuracy project a different ceiling than powerplay bowlers with swing.
Spin bowler
The spin bowler's projection is built from wicket rate in the middle overs, role expansion, and venue turn. A wrist-spinner with powerplay usage projects differently from a finger-spinner with middle-overs role. The matchup split (vs left-handers, vs right-handers) is the second filter.
Role projection at a glance
- Top-order — powerplay intent, boundary rate, role security
- Middle-order — finishing role, six-bonus rate, death intent
- Pace — wicket rate, dot ball %, venue bounce, death-overs usage
- Spin — middle-overs wickets, role expansion, venue turn, matchup split
- All-rounder — both departments, role security, salary efficiency
- Wicketkeeper — stumping ceiling, batting position, recent runs
The role-by-role projection is the foundation of every lineup. Read the role first, then read the player — and the role is the same on every venue, every format, every matchup.