Today’s fantasy cricket shortlist, with the reasoning.
Captain pick, vice-captain pick, three differential picks, and a one-line contrarian. We log every call so the season-end hit rate is public.
A reading order for today’s fantasy cricket shortlist, with the reasoning.
Read top to bottom for the full chapter, or jump in at the section that matches the question you have right now. Every subtopic opens on its own page; nothing here is a stub.
Today’s captain pick
One name, with the case for and the case against. We log the result the morning after the match.
02Vice-captain read
The 1.5x pick. Usually cheaper than the captain, but the same role. We pick from the same XI.
03Three differentials
Three names under 15% selection. The goal is a top-30% finish, not a top-3% finish.
04The contrarian
One pick that goes against the public shortlist. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, we log that too.
05Toss and weather notes
The toss call we expect, the dew read, and the squad change we are watching.
06The running hit rate
Every pick we have made this season, public, with the W/L next to it.
The full chapter, in one read
Every match day, before the toss, the desk publishes a shortlist. It is a captain pick, a vice-captain pick, three differentials, and a contrarian. Every pick is logged with the reasoning, the salary cost, the role, and the risk note. We do not hide the misses.
The shortlist is built from the same five-question framework that anchors the homepage cheat sheet, plus a quick read of the venue and the weather. The order of the picks matters: captain first, vice-captain second, differentials third, contrarian last. Read top-down for the build, bottom-up for the contrarian case.
What you should do next
The fastest way to use this chapter is to read the first subtopic, then jump to whichever subtopic matches the question on your mind. If you are new, the captain and vice-captain subtopic is the one that pays for itself the soonest. If you are returning, the salary cap math subtopic is usually where the season-end edge sits.
We update this chapter weekly. The date below the headline is the last refresh; the changelog at the bottom of the page records every substantive change.
The shortlist, in detail
The shortlist is published every match day, before the toss. The shortlist has four parts: a captain pick, a vice-captain pick, three differentials, and a contrarian. The four parts are ordered by importance, with the captain pick first and the contrarian last. The shortlist is built from the same five-question framework that anchors the homepage cheat sheet, plus a quick read of the venue and the weather.
The captain pick, in detail
The captain pick is the player with the strongest case for the next match, with the case built from the data on the desk. The case is published in full, with the supporting evidence, the alternative picks, and the risk note. The captain pick is logged, and the result is published the morning after the match.
The vice-captain pick, in detail
The vice-captain pick is the 1.5x pick, usually from the same XI as the captain. The vice-captain pick is built from the same data as the captain pick, but the weight is on the floor rather than the ceiling. The vice-captain pick is logged, and the result is published the morning after the match.
The differentials, in detail
The three differentials are players under 15% selection, with the case built from the same data as the captain pick. The differentials are designed to lift the team into the top 30% of a mega contest, not the top 3%. The differentials are logged, and the result is published the morning after the match.
The contrarian, in detail
The contrarian is one pick that goes against the public shortlist. The contrarian is published last, with the case built from the same data as the captain pick, but with a different weight. The contrarian is the highest-variance pick on the shortlist, and the highest-ceiling. The contrarian is logged, and the result is published the morning after the match.
The running hit rate
The running hit rate is published at the end of every month, with the W/L next to every pick. The hit rate is calculated on the median of the points scored by the player, not on the player’s ranking in the contest. The hit rate is the most important metric the desk tracks, and the most honest.
More from the desk.
The T20 World Cup 2026 roadmap, mapped against your fantasy squad window
What changes for fantasy readers across the next ICC cycle.
Wagon wheel and pitch map: how to read a batter’s real scoring zones
The five-minute method our editors use before every shortlist.
IPL 2026 retention analysis: the five calls that quietly reshaped the auction board
The retentions that changed the salary cap math for the whole league.
Questions readers ask before they read the chapter.
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How long will it take to read this chapter? Plan on 18 to 25 minutes for the full chapter, including the subtopic pages. The summary at the top is two minutes if you only need the headlines. -
Is this chapter written for beginners or returning players? Both. The first subtopic is the beginner path. The salary cap and contest format subtopics are written for players who already play and want to sharpen. -
Do you take affiliate revenue from the platforms you cover? Yes, and we disclose every commercial relationship on the responsible play page. Editorial coverage is independent of commercial relationships; the desk does not promote a platform it would not play on itself.
The captain pick, in detail
The captain pick is the player with the strongest case for the next match, with the case built from the data on the desk. The case is published in full, with the supporting evidence, the alternative picks, and the risk note. The captain pick is logged, and the result is published the morning after the match. The captain pick is the single most important call on the shortlist.
The vice-captain pick, in detail
The vice-captain pick is the 1.5x pick, usually from the same XI as the captain. The vice-captain pick is built from the same data as the captain pick, but the weight is on the floor rather than the ceiling. The vice-captain pick is logged, and the result is published the morning after the match. The vice-captain pick is the second most important call on the shortlist.
The three differentials, in detail
The three differentials are players under 15% selection, with the case built from the same data as the captain pick. The differentials are designed to lift the team into the top 30% of a mega contest, not the top 3%. The differentials are logged, and the result is published the morning after the match. The differentials are the third most important call on the shortlist.
The contrarian, in detail
The contrarian is one pick that goes against the public shortlist. The contrarian is published last, with the case built from the same data as the captain pick, but with a different weight. The contrarian is the highest-variance pick on the shortlist, and the highest-ceiling. The contrarian is logged, and the result is published the morning after the match.
The toss and weather notes, in detail
The toss and weather notes are published with the shortlist, 30 minutes before the team lock. The notes cover the expected toss call, the dew read, the crosswind read, and the squad change we are watching. The notes are the last input to the captaincy call, and the most recent. The notes are logged, and the result is published the morning after the match.
The running hit rate, in detail
The running hit rate is published at the end of every month, with the W/L next to every pick. The hit rate is calculated on the median of the points scored by the player, not on the player’s ranking in the contest. The hit rate is the most important metric the desk tracks, and the most honest. The hit rate is the source of truth for the desk’s performance.