Mumbai Indians host Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium on 24 May 2026 with the Royals needing a win to seal a playoff berth. Both strengths and surfaces have shaped the captaincy logic — here is the full squad, the pitch read and the toss window that decides the C/VC slot.
The retrospective our desk is leaning on this morning.
Defending champions West Delhi Lions meet New Delhi Tigers in the Delhi Premier League's third T20 on Saturday, 1 August 2026, at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Squad form, venue notes and the fantasy checks that matter before 7:00 PM IST.
Every angle on Indian fantasy cricket — start where your team needs help.
Tonight's predicted XI, captaincy and differential picks.
SectionBeginner-to-advanced guides on team selection and salary cap.
SectionMatch centres with scorecards, milestones and live impact.
SectionHow Dream11, MPL, My11Circle and PlayerzPot actually score you.
SectionDaily cricket reporting on IPL, ICC and bilateral series.
SectionPlayer form, role splits, head-to-head numbers and injury watch.
From the Mumbai Indians powerplay rebuild to the Lucknow Super Giants middle-order shuffle, our IPL hub covers squad composition, retentions, auction buys and on-toss tactical changes. Use it as a single source before every league submission — not as a betting shortcut.
Skip the PDF. Here is how Dream11, MPL and My11Circle actually score every over.
| Action | Base points | Bonuses | Penalties | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run | +1 per run | Boundary +4 / Six +6 | Strike-rate bonus at 50/100+ | All T20 leagues |
| Wicket | +25 (pace) | +45 (LBW/Bowled) | +8 if <30 balls | All T20 leagues |
| Catch | +8 per catch | 3 catches = +4 bonus | WK stumpings +12 | Most platforms |
| Strike rate | +6 at SR 170+ | +4 at 150–170 | −2 at SR <70 | Most platforms |
| Economy | +6 at <5 rpo | +4 at 5–6 rpo | −2 at >10 rpo | Most platforms |
A simple five-step loop our desk uses before every submission.
Head-to-head, 3–11 small leagues, or 10,000+ mega contests. Beginners do best in 3–11 leagues where a smart captain pick can beat the field.
A dry Wankhede track pushes spinners into your team. A green Mohali surface rewards extra pace. Toss news usually lands 30 minutes before the match.
Captain gets 2× points, vice-captain gets 1.5×. Pick your most consistent player as captain, your highest-ceiling differential as vice.
Stay 5–10 points under the salary cap so you have room for an in-form differential. A 100-credit bench isn't worth a 60-point dud.
Most platforms lock teams at toss. Late submissions are the #1 reason rookies miss the points table.
Our three match reads for the next 48 hours, with captain, differential and pitch notes.
Founders, scale, formats and where each one fits your style.
| Platform | Founded | Reported users | Contest type | Apps | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dream11 | 2008 | 100 cr+ users | Free + paid | Web · Android · iOS | Most formats |
| MPL | 2018 | 90 cr+ users | Free + paid | Android · iOS | Fantasy + games |
| My11Circle | 2019 | 20 cr+ users | Free circle play | Android · iOS | Closed circles |
| PlayerzPot | 2016 | 5 cr+ users | Free + paid | Android · iOS | Low-commission |
| Vision11 | 2017 | 8 cr+ users | Free + paid | Android · iOS | Bengali-friendly |
Real readers, real winning moves, written in their words.
Built a 4-spinner attack on a Lucknow turner
₹25K small leaguePicked three uncapped seamers at 8.5 credits each
₹75K head-to-headCaptain choice flipped at toss after dew news
₹1.1L mega contestStayed 6 points under the salary cap
One short email, three captaincy reads, one differential. No spam, no affiliate links inside the email body. Unsubscribe in one click.
Fantasy cricket is for adults in permitted states. Here's how we cover compliance.
Real-money fantasy is permitted in 28 states and restricted in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Telangana, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tamil Nadu (except Permitted Areas). Verify your state before signing up.
Every regulated platform runs PAN + Aadhaar verification. Use only the in-app KYC flow; never share documents over WhatsApp.
Set weekly deposit caps in your account settings. If you ever chase losses, pause and use the responsible-play helpline below.
We do not run contests and we do not earn commissions on fantasy outcomes. We are paid for editorial, period.
Today's cricket reporting and analysis, written by our editorial team.
Tonight's conditions at every venue, refreshed every two hours.
Surface looks dry with light grass. Expect a 170+ first-innings score if the toss winner chases. Pace bowlers will need slower-ball variations in the second half.
The short straight boundary continues to favour top-order batters. Spinners may get turn in the middle overs if the pitch is rolled dry pre-match.
Duckworth-Lewis scenarios are realistic. Pace-bowling allrounders with batting depth gain value. Captain picks should be top-order batters.
Consistent with last season's slow turners. Wrist-spinners are the captaincy angle if dew stays away. Fielding sides will bowl first.
Six events our desk covers season by season, with first-match dates and venue plans.
Feb 14 – May 24, 2026 · 10 franchises, 74 matches · Mumbai · first match Feb 22
Jun 4 – Jun 29, 2026 · 20 teams, 55 matches · India & Sri Lanka · first match Jun 7
Sep 1 – Sep 17, 2026 · 6 teams, 13 matches · UAE · first match Sep 5
Feb 28 – Mar 22, 2026 · 5 teams, 22 matches · Bengaluru / Mumbai · first match Mar 3
Oct 2025 – Feb 2026 · 38 teams, multi-day · Home venues · first match Weekly
Mar 2027 · 8 teams, 15 matches · Pakistan / UAE · first match TBC
Eight terms you'll see on every fantasy cricket page we publish.
The player whose actual points are multiplied by 2× in your team. Pick carefully — this single decision swings contests.
Multiplies that player's points by 1.5×. Most teams stack captain on a safe top-order pick and vice-captain on a high-ceiling differential.
A player owned by less than ~10% of entries. The leverage play when you want to beat mega contest fields.
100 credits across 11 players on most platforms. You cannot exceed 100; staying a few points under gives bench flexibility.
10,000+ entry field. Wins are rare but payouts are large. Beat the field with captaincy differentials.
3–11 entries. Captaincy reads swing outcomes more often than volume plays. Best for new players.
Runs per 100 balls. Most platforms award bonus points at SR 150+ and penalties below SR 70 in T20s.
Runs conceded per over. Bonuses below 5 rpo, penalties above 10 rpo across most platforms.
Our weekly podcast pairs our captaincy read with one dissenting opinion from a guest — usually a domestic cricket coach, a state association selector or a former first-class player. Episodes are 45 minutes long, free to stream, and run without mid-roll ad breaks.
Recent episodes cover the RCB captaincy debate, the Lucknow spin puzzle, how to read a pitch report when the curator is being optimistic, and the art of swapping your captain at toss when dew is heavy.
Six numbers our desk reports on the first Monday of every quarter.
Six writers and one editor, named here so you can hold each of us accountable.
Eleven years covering Indian cricket for daily newspapers before founding the desk. Writes the weekly captaincy column.
Former Ranji Trophy analyst. Owns the points-system explainer and the bowler-economy leaderboards.
Covers IPL pressers, BCCI announcements and the women's game. Filed 280 bylined stories in 2025.
Builds the player form database, the head-to-head numbers and the role-split charts you'll find on every player page.
A lawyer who reviews every responsible-play, state-eligibility and bonus disclosure we publish.
Runs the newsletter, the podcast production and the reader correspondence. Replies to every email within five working days.
Fantasy Cricket Today started in 2024 as a newsletter between three cricket-obsessed friends who were tired of affiliate picks apps masking marketing as analysis. We wanted somewhere that publishes the captain read with the math shown, prints the dissenting opinion when our desk disagrees, and stays quiet when we don't have a confident call.
Every story on this site carries a byline, a publish timestamp and an editorial disclosure where relevant. We are funded by readers and a small set of independent advertisers. We are not paid by any fantasy platform, and we do not earn commission on your contest entries.
If you want to support the work, our annual reader pass is ₹499 and unlocks the deep-dive weekly notes, the head-to-head database and the captaincy calculator. We will never put captaincy calls behind the paywall.
Our sponsors never see a story before it is published. We never link a sponsor inside a captaincy article. Sponsored content is clearly labelled "Sponsored" at the top of the page and tagged with rel="sponsored" in the markup. Editorial stories carry no sponsor label and no sponsored markup.
Reader subscriptions fund 73% of our operating budget. The remaining 27% comes from sponsors we picked because they share our editorial standards — never the other way around. Our current sponsor list and our sponsor selection criteria are public on our editorial standards page.
Three deep dives our desk thinks you'll want next.
Mega, small, head-to-head, or 3–11 — when each format makes sense.
How Dream11, MPL and My11Circle differ at SR 150+ and below 70.
Last 10 innings, role split, head-to-head numbers, fitness watch.
Eight honest answers about what we publish, how we work and how to reach us.
We are an independent editorial desk covering Indian fantasy cricket. We publish match analysis, captaincy picks, points-system explainers, team news and player profiles for everyday fantasy players. We do not run contests, sell picks or earn affiliate commissions on fantasy outcomes.
Yes, in most states. Real-money fantasy is a game of skill and is permitted in 28 Indian states under the Public Gambling Act, with restrictions in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Telangana, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tamil Nadu (except Permitted Areas). Read our full state-wise explainer before you sign up.
We do not publish odds, predictions as bets, or affiliate links inside our newsletter. Each email gives three captain reads, one differential pick and one pitch note, plus the toss update when available. Our editorial work is paid for by readers, not by platforms.
Use the in-app links on our Download App page. Those links go to the official Apple App Store, Google Play and the verified APK repository maintained by the platform's parent company. We do not host APK files.
Every picks article carries an author byline and a publish timestamp. Where a player relationship could create a conflict (for example, a former team analyst writing on their old franchise), we publish a short disclosure at the foot of the article.
Yes. Send a 200-word pitch to editorial [at] fantasycrickettoday.com with three published writing samples. We respond within five working days. We do not pay for contributed content but we credit bylines and link to your author page.
Most platforms offer Delete Account inside Settings → Account → Privacy. If the option is missing, raise a ticket via customer care and quote your registered mobile number. Read our step-by-step guide for the platform you use.
Yes. We cover the WPL, ICC Women's T20 World Cup and bilateral series alongside the men's game. Our women's cricket hub runs every Tuesday with form notes, captaincy angles and WPL-specific fantasy guidance.
Open the predictions desk, pick a contest size, and lock your XI before toss. We will do the rest of the watching.
