Sixer salary cap design · how the desk reads the ₹ 100 lakh cap
The desk's longform guide on the operator's salary cap design. The guide walks through the per-point cost arithmetic, the role-weighted salary distribution and three worked XI examples that show how the cap arithmetic translates into squad construction.
What this guide covers
This guide walks through the design of the operator's salary cap and how the desk reads the cap as a per-fantasy-point budget. The guide is a long-form read for readers who want to understand the per-point cost arithmetic, not just apply the desk's three rules. The guide is published as a single HTML page, designed for slow reading with a notebook, and walks through three worked XI examples, the role-weighted salary distribution and the desk's three salary-arithmetic rules.
The salary cap design
The operator's salary cap is the maximum total salary the reader can spend across the eleven players in a fantasy squad. Most Indian operators use a ₹ 100 lakh cap. Each player carries a salary in lakhs (₹ L) and the squad salary is the sum of the eleven players' salaries. The cap exists to force the reader to make trade-offs between expensive star players and lower-salary differentials; without a cap, every squad would be the eleven most expensive players on the list, which would produce identical squads across every contest.
The desk reads the cap as a per-fantasy-point budget. The total cap is divided by the squad's expected weighted fantasy points (captain at 2.0x, vice-captain at 1.5x, the rest at 1.0x) to produce a per-point cost; a lower per-point cost means the squad has spent less for the same expected return. The desk treats any squad below ₹ 0.22 per point as balanced, ₹ 0.22 to ₹ 0.25 as heavy and above ₹ 0.25 as salary-heavy.
Why the cap design matters
The cap design matters because it shapes the leaderboard. A squad that spends the full cap on the eleven most expensive players will tie with every other squad that does the same, and the leaderboard will be decided by the points scored in the actual match, not by the squad construction. A squad that spends 85 percent of the cap on ten strong players and 15 percent on a single differential has a lower per-point cost and a higher chance of differentiating on the leaderboard.
The cap also matters for the captain multiplier. The captain's salary counts at 1.0x in the cap arithmetic, but the captain's points count at 2.0x in the weighted points arithmetic. The per-point cost of the captain slot is therefore lower than the per-point cost of any non-captain slot at the same salary. The desk recommends picking a captain who costs 14 percent of the cap or less, because at that level the captain's per-point cost is at or below the squad average.
Three worked XI examples
XI one: a balanced T20 squad at Wankhede. Captain A. Iyer at ₹ 11.5 L, vice-captain H. Pandya at ₹ 10 L, top-order anchor at ₹ 9.5 L, middle-order power-hitter at ₹ 9 L, wicket-keeper batter at ₹ 8.5 L, seam-bowling all-rounder at ₹ 9.5 L, frontline pace bowler at ₹ 9 L, frontline spinner at ₹ 8.5 L, death bowler at ₹ 8 L, part-time off-spin at ₹ 7 L, differential at ₹ 5 L. Total salary ₹ 95.5 L (95.5 percent of cap), expected weighted points 510, per-point cost ₹ 0.187. XI two: a heavy-captain ODI squad at Chepauk. Captain J. Bumrah at ₹ 13 L, vice-captain a frontline batter at ₹ 10 L, top-order anchor at ₹ 9.5 L, middle-order anchor at ₹ 9 L, spin-bowling all-rounder at ₹ 9.5 L, frontline spinner at ₹ 9 L, frontline pace bowler at ₹ 8.5 L, wicket-keeper batter at ₹ 8 L, two part-time options at ₹ 7 L each, differential at ₹ 5 L. Total salary ₹ 95.5 L, expected weighted points 530, per-point cost ₹ 0.180. XI three: a differential T20 squad at Eden Gardens. Captain a lower-order power-hitter at ₹ 7 L, vice-captain a part-time off-spin all-rounder at ₹ 8 L, three frontline batters at ₹ 9 L each, two all-rounders at ₹ 9 L each, two frontline bowlers at ₹ 8.5 L each, wicket-keeper batter at ₹ 8 L, differential at ₹ 5 L. Total salary ₹ 91 L, expected weighted points 495, per-point cost ₹ 0.184.
Salary cap design checklist
- Read the operator's salary cap and points table before locking the XI.
- Compute the captain's salary as a percentage of the squad cap (under 14 percent).
- Compute the vice-captain's salary as a percentage of the squad cap (under 11 percent).
- Compute the squad's per-fantasy-point cost (below ₹ 0.22 for a balanced XI).
- Check the role-weighted salary distribution (no more than 35 percent on top order).
- Lock the team 15 minutes before the toss and check the official playing XI.
Related reading
Read the salary cap hub page for the desk's matchday-by-matchday reading, the captain pick arithmetic guide for the 2.0x multiplier walkthrough, and the points system page for the operator's published scoring tables.
Salary cap design · FAQ
Is the salary cap always ₹ 100 lakh?
Most Indian fantasy operators use a ₹ 100 lakh cap, but the exact cap varies by contest format and tournament. The desk reads the operator's published cap before every contest window and treats any cap as a per-fantasy-point budget, not as a fixed number.
What is a good per-point cost for an XI?
The desk treats any squad below ₹ 0.18 per point as leaderboard-position, ₹ 0.18 to ₹ 0.22 as balanced, ₹ 0.22 to ₹ 0.25 as heavy and above ₹ 0.25 as salary-heavy. The desk recommends aiming for ₹ 0.18 or lower for a leaderboard XI.
Should the captain always cost 14 percent of the cap?
The desk's rule of thumb is 14 percent or less. A captain above 14 percent compresses the budget for the remaining ten players and forces a low-salary bench. A captain below 10 percent is acceptable if the captain is a high-points differential, but the desk recommends confirming the differential's points floor before locking.
Can I leave salary on the table?
Yes. Leaving 5 to 10 percent of the cap on the table (by picking a low-salary differential instead of the most expensive player on the bench) is a valid squad-construction strategy. The desk treats the unused cap as the cost of differentiation on the leaderboard.