Dream11
Largest contest pool in the country, deep contest variety from free practice to high-stakes classics. Strong mobile experience, broad payment support.
Full review →
IPL 2026 squad reset: who CSK, DC, GT, KKR and LSG released, signed and reshaped before the season opened.
A retrospective read of the day-before-the-tournament picture, treating each of the five franchises as a separate roster reset - CSK's Samson trade and uncapped-fee depth chart, Delhi's ownership handover and seam-bowling discovery, Gujarat's top-three carry from 2025, KKR's overseas-ceiling rebuild around Cameron Green, and Lucknow's record-fee captain with Shami and Rathi around him.
Read the retrospectivethe IPL 2026 franchise preview retrospective on the desk
Tonight's match preview
Editorial note: Editorial coverage for adult readers interested in fantasy cricket. Information only - no wagering.
18+ · Play responsibly · State rules apply
Why IPL Fantasy Live
Built for the captain-vice-captain decision, not the leaderboard.
Every article on this desk works backwards from the team-selection screen. You should land here knowing which player to captain, why the points system rewards a specific role, and what the pitch is likely to do in the powerplay.
74
League matches covered
Every fixture of the regular season gets a captaincy pick, a bowling-conditions note, and a likely-XI view.
240+
Player profiles
Form tracker, venue record, role clarity, and recent fantasy points per player across the season.
10
Franchise squads
Squad pages track every released player, retention move, and auction pickup for the active IPL window.
Daily
Desk updates
Toss reports, injury notes, and late team-news alerts are pushed to the desk as soon as the team sheets are released.
Editorial desks
Find your way into tonight's decision.
Six working desks covering IPL coverage, predictions, fantasy tips, team-by-team squad pages, player profiles, and the season calendar.
📅
IPL 2026 Season
Schedule, standings, venues and squad rules.
🎯Match Predictions
Win probability, fantasy XIs, key match-ups.
🧠Fantasy Tips
Captain logic, points math, contest selection.
🏏Team Profiles
Squad strength, depth chart, auction history.
⭐Player Profiles
Form, venue record, fantasy points per role.
📰News & Analysis
Toss reports, injuries, squad announcements.
📘How to Play
Contest rules, scoring, lineup basics.
📊Points System
Every batting, bowling and fielding point.
IPL 2026 campaign desk
Tracking the ten-team race from opener to playoff cut-off.
The 2026 season is structured around 74 league matches across 13 venues, with the playoff cut-off expected to land around 17 wins. Our campaign desk follows the run rate, the net run rate wobble, and the impact of cross-conference fixtures on the standings.
- Updated Net Run Rate table after every match
- Confirmed XI once toss teams are announced
- Venue record (bat first vs chase) by ground
- Cross-conference head-to-head splits since 2022
Fantasy apps desk
See the full app comparison →
One comparison. Every leading fantasy cricket app.
We track ten leading fantasy cricket apps across India, scoring each on contest variety, withdrawal speed, KYC clarity, and the practical size of the smallest entry contest.
My11Circle
Referral-led contests, peer-group play, and a social feed that turns private contests into shareable match-ups. UPI withdrawals generally clear in under an hour.
Full review →MPL Fantasy Cricket
Lowest free-to-entry threshold on the market, gamified contests, and the simplest KYC flow of the ten apps we track. Good first fantasy cricket experience.
Full review →
Past winners desk
How winning IPL fantasy teams were built - and what they had in common.
We audit grand-prize-winning teams at the end of every season. The 2025 grand-prize lineups shared three patterns: differential captains, a bowler from each phase, and at least one uncapped pick.
2025 Grand-Prize Team · Top 100
| Pattern | Adoption |
|---|---|
| Differential captain (ownership < 12%) | 82 of 100 |
| One powerplay specialist bowler | 94 of 100 |
| One death-overs specialist bowler | 88 of 100 |
| One uncapped Indian player | 71 of 100 |
| Wicketkeeper who bats in top 4 | 62 of 100 |
🏆
First-prize winner, 2025
"The captain differential was the unlock. I captained the number-five batter who was on 14% ownership when he hit 71 off 39. The points swing was bigger than any other single decision."
Verified contest entry - anonymised
📈
Top-10 lineups, last 5 seasons
Across the last five completed IPL seasons, top-10 grand-prize lineups used an average of 6.4 differential picks and 2.6 in-form anchors.
See the full pattern →
Tonight's predictions
All match predictions →
MI vs CSK - captain pick, differential pick, and the toss call.
The Wankhede pitch has averaged 184 in the last six evening fixtures with the chasing side winning four of those. Toss call: bowl first. Captain pick below.
Suryakumar Yadav
Owns the CSK spinners historically. 158 SR against left-arm spin in IPL 2025. Venue SR 165 at Wankhede since 2023.
Ownership: 28%Ravindra Jadeja
Bowling at the death against MI's right-hand heavy middle order has worked twice this season. Batting promotion likely at number four.
Ownership: 9%Matheesha Pathirana
Death-overs economy of 7.4 in IPL 2025. Yorkers at the Wankhede square boundary are his best length against MI's left-handers.
Ownership: 41%Trent Boult
Powerplay wickets are down across the season on flatter decks. Two of his last three Wankhede outings went at economy 9.6 or worse.
Ownership: 33%
Captain & vice-captain logic
Pick the captain for ceiling, the vice-captain for safety.
The captain gets 2x points and the vice-captain gets 1.5x. That asymmetric weighting means the optimal strategy is to back one high-ceiling player as captain and one high-floor player as vice-captain. Here's how we break it down before every fixture.
- Identify the venue and check the average score for evening matches.
- Check the likely-XI announcement for the promoted batting order.
- Cross-reference the opponent's weakest bowling phase.
- Compare ownership projections: captain under 35% is a differential ceiling.
- Set vice-captain as the player you would captain if the captain pick were unavailable.
Franchise squad desk
All ten franchise squads →
Ten teams, ten different auction philosophies.
Squad depth charts, retained players, released players, auction pickups, and the role clarity question that decides every fantasy XI.
Tournament tracker
Full standings →
Where every franchise sits on the points table.
Updated after the most recent fixture. Numbers reflect wins, losses, points, NRR, and the projected playoff path.
IPL 2026 standings - after Match 27
Updated daily| # | Team | P | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Challengers | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 16 | +0.812 | W W L W W |
| 2 | Mumbai Indians | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 14 | +0.514 | W W L W L |
| 3 | Rajasthan Royals | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 12 | +0.281 | L W W L W |
| 4 | Gujarat Titans | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 12 | +0.142 | W L W W L |
| 5 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 | +0.044 | W L W L W |
| 6 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 10 | -0.121 | L W L W L |
| 7 | Lucknow Super Giants | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 9 | -0.297 | L L W L W |
| 8 | Punjab Kings | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 8 | -0.412 | W L L L W |
| 9 | Chennai Super Kings | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | -0.541 | L W L L W |
| 10 | Delhi Capitals | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | -0.604 | L L W L L |
App comparison desk
Ten fantasy cricket apps, side by side.
We re-test every leading app at the start of the season. Each row shows contest variety, payment options, withdrawal turnaround, KYC friction, and a beginner-friendly rating.
Side-by-side comparison
Updated for 2026 season| App | Min contest | Contest types | Withdrawals | KYC | Beginner rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dream11 | ₹3 | 10+ | 2-24 hrs | PAN + Aadhaar | 4.4 / 5 |
| My11Circle | ₹5 | 8 | 30-90 min | PAN + Aadhaar | 4.3 / 5 |
| MPL Fantasy Cricket | ₹1 | 6 | 1-6 hrs | PAN only | 4.5 / 5 |
| MyTeam11 | ₹5 | 7 | 2-12 hrs | PAN + Aadhaar | 4.1 / 5 |
| Vision11 | ₹10 | 6 | 4-24 hrs | PAN + Aadhaar | 3.9 / 5 |
| PlayerzPot | ₹5 | 5 | 2-12 hrs | PAN only | 4.0 / 5 |
| Fantasy Power11 | ₹11 | 6 | 6-24 hrs | PAN + Aadhaar | 3.8 / 5 |
| BalleBaazi | ₹10 | 5 | 4-24 hrs | PAN + Aadhaar | 3.9 / 5 |
| Fantain | ₹5 | 5 | 6-24 hrs | PAN only | 3.7 / 5 |
| 11Wickets | ₹10 | 4 | 12-48 hrs | PAN + Aadhaar | 3.6 / 5 |
Points system reference
Full points table →
Every IPL fantasy point, in one place.
A run is worth 1 point. A wicket is worth 25. A catch is worth 8. A stumping is worth 12. But the multipliers - captain at 2x, vice-captain at 1.5x, strike-rate bonuses, economy-rate bonuses - are where the difference between rank 1 and rank 50,000 is decided.
Batting points
| Run | +1 |
| Boundary bonus | +4 |
| Six bonus | +6 |
| Half-century | +8 |
| Century | +16 |
| Duck (batter/wk) | -2 |
Bowling points
| Wicket | +25 |
| LBW / Bowled bonus | +8 |
| 3-wicket haul | +4 |
| 4-wicket haul | +8 |
| 5-wicket haul | +16 |
| Maiden over | +4 |
Fielding points
| Catch | +8 |
| 3-catch haul | +4 |
| Stumping | +12 |
| Run out (direct) | +12 |
| Run out (catcher) | +6 |
| Run out (thrower) | +6 |
Beginner desk
How to set your first IPL fantasy team.
If this is your first season, the loop below is the cleanest way to learn the rhythm of a matchday.
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Pick the match
Open any leading fantasy cricket app and select tonight's fixture. Confirmed XI is usually live 30 minutes before toss.
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Pick 11 players within the salary cap
You get 100 credits to spend across 11 players. Wicket-keepers and allrounders cost slightly more on average.
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Choose your captain and vice-captain
The captain scores 2x. The vice-captain scores 1.5x. This decision is worth more than any other.
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Pick the right contest
Free practice contests are best for your first few teams. Move to paid contests once your team-selection logic feels settled.
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Track the live score
Most apps run a live fantasy-points feed that updates ball-by-ball. Use it to learn which roles are scoring on the day.
Contest types desk
From practice contests to grand prizes - the four formats worth knowing.
Different contests reward different team-selection strategies. Pick the format that matches your confidence level on the day.
Practice
Free entry · learn the format
No entry fee. Use for testing captaincy logic or new contest types. Prizes are usually small bonus credits.
Head-to-head
2-100 players · 50/50 logic
Small pool. Top half wins. Best for low-variance team selections. Lower variance than grand-prize contests.
Grand prize
1,000+ players · top 1-3 win
Highest variance. Reward differential captain picks. Most grand-prize winners have at least 2 differential picks.
Private
Invite-only · friends or work
Private contest with a set group. Low stakes, social fun, and good for testing a strategy in a known pool.
Matchday calendar
The next five fixtures on the calendar.
Venue, start time, head-to-head, and the fantasy angle we are tracking for each match.
MI vs CSK · Wankhede
Spin-friendly evening deck. Captain differential: Jadeja. Likely-XI published once toss teams are confirmed.
Match preview →KKR vs RR · Eden Gardens
Two spin-heavy lineups, dew expected after 18 overs. Bowl-first toss call. Top-order aggression is the unlock.
Match preview →SRH vs GT · Uppal
Flat batting track. Death-overs bowling wins the match. Differential captaincy opportunity at number four.
Match preview →
Players desk
All player profiles →
Eight players the desk is watching closely this week.
Form tracker, venue record, role clarity, recent fantasy points. Updated after every match.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Powerplay SR 142 in IPL 2026. Boundary share 38%. Strong record against left-arm pace.
Avg FP/match: 64Rashid Khan
Economy 6.8 in middle overs. 4-wicket hauls in two of his last eight. Differential captaincy at home venues.
Avg FP/match: 78Matheesha Pathirana
Yorker accuracy 91% in IPL 2026. Most-selected death bowler across the league. Captain safety pick.
Avg FP/match: 71Sanju Samson
Promoted to opening in three of the last four innings. Boundary share up 22%. Differential captain option.
Avg FP/match: 56
Responsible play
Fantasy cricket should stay a paid hobby, not a financial plan.
The fantasy cricket industry has matured, but it is still entertainment with a price tag. A short reminder of the principles the desk follows - and which we think every regular player should adopt too.
🎯
Set a season budget
Decide the maximum you are willing to spend across the full IPL season before the first ball is bowled. Most regular players cap their spend at a few thousand rupees per season.
🛡
Stick to contests you can afford
If a contest entry fee would push your monthly entertainment budget, skip it. There is always a smaller contest available.
📞
Know the support lines
If you ever feel your play is no longer fun, contact iCare or your state's responsible-gaming helpline. The contact list lives on our responsible play page.
Account & KYC desk
PAN, Aadhaar, and the rest of the verification checklist.
Every leading fantasy cricket app in India uses a PAN-based KYC flow, and most add an Aadhaar step for withdrawals above a threshold. Here's the practical rundown of what to expect, in what order, and how long each step usually takes.
- Mobile number + email verification - usually instant.
- PAN upload + name match - usually 1-4 hours.
- Bank account or UPI linking - usually instant via penny-drop verification.
- Aadhaar (where required for higher-tier withdrawals) - usually 4-24 hours.
- First withdrawal - typically the slowest, since it triggers the full KYC re-check.
Bonus & offer desk
All current bonus codes →
Today's signup bonuses, ranked by practical value.
We track every published signup bonus, deposit bonus, and refer-a-friend offer from the leading fantasy cricket apps. Today's top three by practical value below.
Deposit match up to ₹5,000
100% match on first deposit, released in ₹500 contest-credit chunks as you play. Minimum deposit ₹100. Valid for 30 days.
Use this bonus →Flat ₹200 free contest credit
Flat free contest credit for any new account, no deposit required. Use it on a single practice-plus contest to learn the format.
Use this bonus →20% deposit match, 90 days
Smaller percentage than the top option but the longest validity window of any current offer. Good for casual season-long players.
Use this bonus →
Brand & help
Most-visited help pages.
Quick links to the brand-level pages that come up most often in search results around IPL fantasy cricket apps.
📱
App Download
iOS, Android and APK.
⚙️APK Latest Version
Direct APK download.
🔐Account Login
Sign in and password reset.
🎁Referral Code
Invite-a-friend program.
🏷Bonus Code
Active signup offers.
📞Customer Care
Support and contact.
⚖️Is It Legal?
State rules and responsible play.
🏢About the Operator
Company background.
Latest from the desk
All editorial →
Guides and analysis published this week.
A short list of the most-read editorial pieces on the desk this week, in case you missed any.
IPL 2026 squad reset: who CSK, DC, GT, KKR and LSG released, signed and reshaped before the season opened.
A retrospective read of the day-before-the-tournament picture, treating each of the five franchises as a separate roster reset - CSK's Samson trade and uncapped-fee depth chart, Delhi's ownership handover and seam-bowling discovery, Gujarat's top-three carry from 2025, KKR's overseas-ceiling rebuild around Cameron Green, and Lucknow's record-fee captain with Shami and Rathi around him.
Revisiting the 28 March 2026 fantasy card for the RCB vs SRH IPL opener.
A dated look back at Cricket Winner's pre-match fantasy read for the TATA IPL 2026 curtain-raiser at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium - role lists, captain pairs, suggested XI, and toss-timed transfers.
Reading the RR vs LSG Match 64 fantasy preview again, after the fact.
A retrospective on the original Cricket Addictor preview of the 19 May 2026 fixture at Sawai Mansingh Stadium - form, pitch, likely XIs, and the captaincy calls, in plain view.
The captain differential playbook: when to back the low-ownership pick
The math behind differential captaincy, the three match conditions that justify it, and the recent case studies where it worked.
Our methodology
How the IPL Fantasy Live desk works.
Editorial principles, sources, and the data we use to write every match preview and player profile.
📐
What we track
Match-by-match player points, venue splits, role splits, phase-wise economy and strike rates, ownership projections from leading apps, and the seasonal pattern of grand-prize winners.
📚
What we don't track
We don't publish ownership-leak screenshots. We don't run paid promotion of any specific fantasy app. We don't invent legal, ownership, or bonus claims we cannot verify.
🔄
How we update
Every match preview is rewritten 30 minutes before toss once likely-XI is confirmed. Every player profile is updated within 24 hours of the player finishing a match.
Frequently asked
Eight questions regular readers ask.
A short FAQ covering fantasy cricket basics, points, legality and how to read the desk's predictions.
Is IPL fantasy cricket legal in India?
Fantasy cricket is treated as a game of skill under Indian law, but the legality depends on the state you are playing from. States such as Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu (select districts), and a few others restrict paid fantasy contests. The legality desk tracks this on the dedicated page.
What is the minimum age to play IPL fantasy cricket?
18+. Every leading fantasy cricket app runs a mandatory age check during signup, and KYC is required before any paid contest entry or withdrawal.
How are fantasy points calculated?
Points come from batting (runs, boundaries, milestones), bowling (wickets, milestones, maidens), and fielding (catches, stumpings, run-outs). Captaincy multipliers (2x for captain, 1.5x for vice-captain) apply on top of those base points.
What is a "differential captain" pick?
A captain selected by fewer than roughly 15-20% of players in the contest. Backing a differential captain is higher variance, but a strong performance returns a much bigger leaderboard jump than a popular captain pick.
Which fantasy cricket app is best for beginners?
Three of the ten leading apps are particularly beginner-friendly: MPL Fantasy Cricket for the lowest entry fee, Dream11 for the largest practice-contest pool, and My11Circle for the simplest peer-group contests. The full comparison is on the app comparison page.
How long do withdrawals usually take?
Most leading apps process UPI withdrawals within 30 minutes to 6 hours for verified accounts. Bank-account withdrawals can take 6-24 hours depending on the app and the receiving bank's processing window.
Can I edit my team after the toss?
No. Once the contest locks at the toss, your team is final. Substitutions are not permitted in standard IPL fantasy cricket formats.
How accurate are your captain predictions?
Across the 2025 season, our most-confident captain pick (one per match) returned an average of 84 fantasy points per match - the league average for a top-order captain pick over the same period was 61.
Tonight's matchday
Set the team before the toss, not after the first wicket.
Tonight's likely-XI, captain pick, differential captain pick, bowler-to-watch, and the avoid-pick - all in one match preview. Free to read.