Cricket players — form, workload, availability
Player profiles built on the matches that matter.
The Players desk tracks the names that drive the calendar. We do not run a sports database; we run an editorial filter. Every player profile is built from the last ten innings (or the last ten spells), the format the player is most likely to play in next, the captain matrix score, and a fitness note that is updated the day after every fixture.
A player profile covers batting form (strike rate, position in the order, dot-ball percentage), bowling workload (spells by phase, average at the death, projection of remaining overs before fatigue), and availability (match-by-match fitness, return dates from niggle, and a clear note when the franchise has not published the update).
Form, workload, availability — three signals, one page.
Batting form: the runs that matter
A profile isn’t a list of high scores. The desk scores a batter on last-ten-innings strike rate, dot-ball percentage, runs against pace vs spin, and the position in the order that maximises the side’s run-rate profile. The batting form card is a snap, not a verdict.
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Bowling workload: how many overs are left
A spinner can bowl four overs an innings for ten consecutive matches and still be fresh; a fast bowler can’t. The workload tracker projects remaining overs before the workload bites, and the captain turns to the second-string option before the projection becomes a fact.
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Availability and recovery
A pulled hamstring is a six-week absence; a back spasm is two. The recovery tracker says what the player can do today, when they should be back, and what the next milestone is in the rehabilitation plan. The desk publishes what the franchise publishes.
Continue readingThe signal that ties form, workload and availability together.
The captain matrix scores ten captain-eligible players out of ten across five signals: form, workload, role in the side, dew window and the opposition matchup. The matrix is published per fixture, not per player, because the matchup matters more than the player.
A player who has scored 350 runs at a 140 strike rate in the last five innings is probably a top-three captain pick in most fixtures — but if the next opponent’s death-over bowling has held him quiet in the last three meetings, the matrix scores him lower. The desk treats the matrix as the editorial sanity check on the player profile.
Players desk questions, answered.
How do you weight last-ten-innings vs career?
The desk weights last-ten-innings at 70% and career at 30% for players still in their first six years. For older players the weights swap, because the last ten innings is noisier than the career arc.
Do you track the women’s cricket calendar?
A selection of women’s cricket profiles are on the desk. The women’s calendar is expanding in 2026, and we will follow it.
Where is the data sourced?
CricViz and ESPNcricinfo are the primary sources. The desk cross-checks against the host broadcaster’s data feed before publishing.
Do you publish domestic T20 league profiles?
Selected IPL, BBL, PSL and CPL players get profiles during their season. Off-season, the profiles are reduced to injury and recovery.
What about player transfers?
When a player moves franchise, the profile refreshes within 24 hours, with the role at the new franchise flagged as “projected XI” until the season opens.
Do you cover U19 players?
Selected U19 players with a clear senior pathway are profiled once they’ve played their first senior international. Before that, the news desk covers the U19 pathway.
Can I request a player?
Yes — the contact page accepts player requests. New profiles are added in batches of ten, with the most-requested names prioritised.
Do you publish a player’s pay?
No — player contracts are the franchise’s commercial information. We publish the role, not the salary.
The Players desk fits in one mobile card.
Refreshed after every match, with last-ten-innings form, workload, availability and the captain-matrix score.
Tracking the median, not the swing.
Player scoring in any fantasy format is volatile. The top scorer on a given week can fall to the median the next week; the bottom scorer one week can be the captain pick the week after. What doesn’t move much across a season is the role balance. A lineup with three batters, three bowlers, one wicketkeeper and three all-rounders will outperform a lopsided lineup on the median almost every week.
The desk tracks the median per role across the season. The median for a top-order batter in a T20 is around 35–45 points per match, with a standard deviation of 25–30. The median for an all-rounder is around 50–60 points per match, with a standard deviation of 30–35. The median for a strike bowler is around 45–55, with a standard deviation of 25. A lopsided lineup misses the median in three of those four roles.
The captain pick is the largest single swing on the card. A captain pick that doubles the median delivers a 70–90 point swing on the lineup; a vice-captain pick that delivers 1.5x delivers a 22–30 point swing. The total swing from the captain and vice-captain is 100–120 points across a typical contest — which is more than the entire spread between the median and the top quartile.
The role-balance discipline is what saves the median. The captain focus is what saves the swing. Together they cover the bulk of what a lineup needs to clear the top-quartile threshold.
Form and workload, in plain language.
For every player on the players desk, two profiles are tracked: a batting-or-bowling profile and a workload profile. The batting-or-bowling profile is the form signal; the workload profile is the rotation signal. Together they tell the captain when to play the player and when to rest.
The form profile is the easier of the two. Last-ten-innings strike rate, dot-ball percentage, position in the order, runs against pace or spin — each signal is published on the player page, with a headline score out of ten. The headline score is updated after every match.
The workload profile is the harder signal. A spinner can bowl four overs an innings for ten consecutive matches without fatigue; a fast bowler can’t. The workload tracker projects remaining overs before fatigue bites, and the captain turns to the second-string option before the projection becomes a fact.
The form profile and the workload profile are combined into a single captain-matrix score for the next fixture. The desk publishes the matrix on a per-fixture basis, with the top three picks in order of matrix score. The matrix is the editorial sanity check on the player profile.
How the matrix turns form into a pick.
The captain-matrix score is the headline number on every player profile. The score is a 0–10 ranking of the player’s captain-eligibility for the next fixture, built from five signals: form (last-ten-innings strike rate or workload), role (where the player sits in the order), venue (the player’s record at the venue), matchup (the player’s record against the opposition’s bowling attack or batting order), and dew window (whether the fixture is dew-friendly and the player’s role benefits from dew).
The matrix is published per fixture, not per player. The same player can have a matrix score of 8/10 in one fixture and 4/10 in the next, depending on the signals. The matrix updates after every match.
The captain focus shortlist (published separately on the fantasy tips page) is the top three matrix scores for the fixture. The shortlist is what the user picks from — the rest of the lineup is selected from the player pool, and the captain and vice-captain are picked from the shortlist.