Online Fantasy glossary

Online fantasy glossary treats every cricket term as a precise, defined concept. Cricket vocabulary is dense — abbreviations, slang, technical terms all flow together. The online desk maintains a glossary that maps every term to its meaning and its fantasy-relevant implications. Online glossary also tracks format-specific usage. A 'death over' in T20 is over 17-20. A 'death over' in ODI is over 46-50. A 'powerplay' in T20 is over 1-6. A 'powerplay' in ODI has multiple phases. The online glossary surfaces these format distinctions. Online glossary is a reference tool, not a tutorial. Users who already understand cricket can use the glossary to confirm precise definitions and fantasy-relevant implications. New users can use the glossary to learn cricket vocabulary alongside fantasy strategy. Online glossary also tracks newly-coined terms. 'Impact player' entered the cricket vocabulary in IPL 2023. 'X-factor player' was introduced briefly. The online desk's glossary updates as new terms enter the cricket-fantasy vocabulary.

Online c-tag (captain tag): the captain pick in a fantasy lineup. The c-tag multiplies the captain's fantasy points by 2x. Online c-tag selection is the highest-use decision in any fantasy lineup. Online VC (vice-captain): the vice-captain pick in a fantasy lineup. The VC multiplies fantasy points by 1.5x. Online VC selection is the second-most important decision. Pair the VC with a different role-type than the captain for diversification. Online h2h (head-to-head): specific matchup history between two players or two teams. Online h2h data tracks bowler-vs-batter records and team-vs-team records over the last 5-10 meetings. H2h is a tiebreaker in captain calibration. Online SR (strike rate): runs scored per 100 balls faced. Online SR bands in fantasy points: SR 130-150 adds 4 bonus points, SR 150-200 adds 6, SR 200+ adds 8. SR is a primary indicator of batting intent. Online RPO (runs per over): runs conceded per over by a bowler. Online RPO bands in fantasy points: under 5 RPO adds 6 bonus, 5-6 adds 4, 6-7 adds 2, above 11 subtracts 2. RPO is the primary indicator of bowling economy. Online ER (economy rate): same as RPO — runs conceded per over. Online ER is interchangeable with RPO in most contexts. Some operator formats use ER specifically for T20s and RPO for ODIs.

Online additional abbreviations: PP (powerplay, overs 1-6 in T20), DO (death overs, overs 17-20 in T20), MoM (man of the match), POTM (player of the match), b/c (because), wk (wicket), r/o (run out), Lbw (leg before wicket), c (caught), b (bowled), nb (no ball), wd (wide). Online role abbreviations: WK (wicketkeeper), BAT (batsman), AR (all-rounder), BOWL (bowler). Online fantasy lineups require specific role counts — 1 WK, 3-6 BAT, 1-4 AR, 3-6 BOWL. Online contest abbreviations: H2H (head-to-head contest, 2 users), SL (small league, 2-100 users), GL (grand league, 100+ users), ML (mega league, 10,000+ users). Online contest selection strategy varies by contest size.

Online powerplay: overs 1-6 in T20 cricket. Only 2 fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle during powerplay. Online powerplay is high-scoring phase, favoring aggressive batters. Captain picks from powerplay specialists are differential picks. Online middle overs: overs 7-15 in T20. Field spreads, spinners typically bowl in tandem. Online middle overs favor strike-rotators and spin bowlers. Captain picks from middle-over specialists are less aggressive but more consistent. Online death overs: overs 16-20 in T20. Batting side aims to maximize runs; bowling side aims for wickets. Online death overs are the highest-variance phase. Captain picks from death-over specialists carry the highest upside and the highest downside. Online phase-specific scoring: powerplay scoring rate averages 8-10 RPO in T20. Middle overs slow to 7-8 RPO. Death overs spike to 10-14 RPO. Online fantasy points correlate with phase-specific scoring — a powerplay specialist scores differently from a death-overs specialist.

Online cricket terms: maiden (over with zero runs conceded), hat-trick (3 wickets in 3 balls), five-for (5 wickets in an innings), four-fer (4 wickets), three-fer (3 wickets), golden duck (dismissed first ball), diamond duck (dismissed without facing a ball — run out at non-striker end). Online cricket terms: partnership (consecutive batting by two players), run rate (average runs per over), required run rate (runs needed per over to reach target), net run rate (NRR, used in tournament standings), powerplay (overs 1-6 in T20), mandatory powerplay (in ODIs). Online cricket terms: free hit (next ball after a no-ball, batter cannot be dismissed except run out), super over (tiebreaker over if match tied), DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method for rain-affected matches), review (DRS, decision review system).

Online contest: a fantasy matchup between multiple users' lineups. Online contests vary by size (2 to 100,000+ users), entry fee (Rs 5 to Rs 10,000+), and prize structure (winner-take-all to top-50% paid). Online lineup: a user's 11-player fantasy selection for a specific match. Online lineups must fit within the 100-credit salary cap and include captain + vice-captain selections. Each match requires a fresh lineup. Online salary cap: the 100-credit limit on total lineup credits. Online salary cap forces strategic selection — users cannot pick all top-tier players. The cap requires balancing top-end talent with budget picks. Online credits: the unit of player cost. Online credits are assigned by operators based on recent performance. Top players cost 10-11 credits, mid-tier cost 7-9, budget cost 5-6. Credit values update before each match. Online ownership: the percentage of users in a contest who have selected a specific player. Online ownership data comes from major contests (mega leagues, grand prizes) and tracks consensus picks. Low-ownership picks are differential picks.

Online operator-specific terms: Dream11 (multi-sport fantasy, largest user base), My11Circle (private contest focus), Vision11 (lower-volume niche), MPL (multi-game aggregator). Each operator has slightly different formats but the core 11-pick / 100-credit structure remains consistent. Online contest prize pool: total prize money in a contest. Online contest prize pools scale with entry fees — Rs 10 contests might pay Rs 1,000-5,000 to top 5-10%; Rs 100 contests pay Rs 50,000+ to top 1%; Rs 1,000+ contests pay Rs 10 lakh+ to top 0.1%. Online contest ranking: position in a contest based on fantasy points scored. Online contest ranking determines prize eligibility. Top 1% in a mega contest wins; top 50% in a 50/50 contest wins half the entry fee back.

Online T20: 20-overs-per-side format. Online T20 fantasy is the most popular format — short, high-scoring, high-variance. IPL is the flagship T20 league; international T20s are bilateral. Online ODI: 50-overs-per-side format. Online ODI fantasy is less popular than T20 but has dedicated users. ODI captain picks favor consistent scorers over explosive ones because the format rewards accumulation. Online Test: unlimited-overs format played over 5 days. Online Test fantasy is niche — small user base, but high skill differentiation. Test captain picks favor all-rounders and bowlers because batting points alone are insufficient. Online IPL: Indian Premier League, the flagship T20 league. Online IPL fantasy is the highest-volume fantasy contest globally. IPL 2024 had 100+ crore fantasy entries; IPL 2025 exceeded that. Online bilateral: international cricket match between two specific teams (e.g., India vs Australia). Online bilateral fantasy is smaller volume than IPL but follows the same format. Bilateral series often have 3-5 matches in a row, allowing series-long fantasy strategies.

Online tournament formats: league stage (round-robin where every team plays every other team), knockout stage (single-elimination playoffs), qualifier (top-2 advance directly), eliminator (3rd and 4th play, loser eliminated). Online tournament formats affect captain calibration — knockout matches have different strategic incentives than league matches. Online auction: the player draft where franchises buy players for the upcoming season. Online IPL mega auction happens every 3-4 years; mini-auctions happen between. The 2026 mega auction in December 2025 saw 577 players sold for Rs 639.15 crore total. Online retention: when a franchise keeps a player from the previous season without entering them in the auction. Online retention rules allow franchises to keep 3-6 players. Retained players are typically franchise cornerstones.

Online impact player: the substitution rule introduced in IPL 2023. Online impact player rule allows each side to substitute one player from a list of 4 substitutes. The substitute gets full points if they play. Impact player announcements happen 30 minutes before toss. Online x-factor player: a similar substitution concept tested in some bilateral series. Online x-factor was the precursor to the IPL impact player rule. The x-factor rule was used briefly in international cricket but is less common now. Online super sub: an early substitution concept used in some T20 leagues. Online super sub allowed one substitution per side. The rule evolved into the impact player rule. Online anchor: a top-order batter whose role is to bat through the innings. Online anchor batters (e.g., KL Rahul, Shubman Gill) typically score 40-70 runs at 120-140 SR. Online anchor captain picks are steady but rarely explosive.

Online finisher: a lower-order batter whose role is to score quickly in death overs. Online finishers (e.g., Hardik Pandya, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh) score 20-40 runs at 150-200+ SR. Online finisher captain picks are high-variance but high-upside. Online strike rotator: a middle-order batter whose role is to keep scoreboard moving without taking excessive risks. Online strike rotators score at 110-130 SR. Online strike rotator captain picks are uncommon — they are typically supporting picks. Online all-rounder: a player who contributes in both batting and bowling. Online all-rounders are premium fantasy picks because they score points in multiple categories. Top all-rounders (Hardik Pandya, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell) cost 10-11 credits and project 70-100 fantasy points. Online death-overs specialist: a bowler whose role is specifically to bowl in overs 17-20. Online death-overs specialists are high-variance — they can take 2-3 wickets or go for 30+ runs. Online death-overs specialist captain picks are differential picks with high upside.