Flat decks
Wankhede, Chinnaswamy, Eden
High-scoring surfaces. Top-order batters and pace-bowling all-rounders carry the points.
IPL 2026
IPL 2026 schedule released: 74 games, 10 franchises, one trophy
A season-level fixture map for IPL 2026. Key dates, venue groups and the desk's coverage plan through the playoffs.
By IPL Fantasy Score editorial desk · Published 2026-03-15 · 7 min read
The 74-game arc
IPL 2026 runs from late March to late May. The league stage is 74 games; the playoff stage is 4 games; the final is on May 25 at the Eden Gardens. The fixture density means fantasy readers need a desk that updates daily, not weekly.
This page is the season-level fixture map. Below it, the desk publishes team previews, milestone trackers, mid-season transfer notes, and the closing playoff preview.
Key dates on the calendar
A scroll-snap rail of the bigger moments through the IPL 2026 season.
Venue groups and their fantasy angle
Five venue groups and how they shape the captain pick through the season.
Slow turners
Chepauk, Lucknow, Delhi
Spin dominates middle overs. Top-order batters who bat through the innings are the captain pool.
Green seamers
Mohali, Arun Jaitley
Early-season mornings carry grass. Pace-bowling all-rounders earn wickets and lower-order runs.
How the desk will cover the season
Five commitments published on every match.
1
Daily fixture note
One short paragraph per fixture, 36 hours before the toss.
2
Pre-toss pitch report
A surface read 90 minutes before toss, with a captain pick and a differential captain alternative.
3
XI confirmation at toss
The confirmed XI, role notes and an updated captain ledger.
4
Closing ledger
A short recap of what worked, what did not, and what the desk would change next fixture.
5
Mid-week recap
A weekly column covering longer stories: injury arcs, ownership shifts and form curves across the league.
Related reading
What this page covers, in long form
A second pass through the topic with extra context, examples and the small habits the desk uses on its own teams.
Insight 01
Surface over form
The single biggest input to any fantasy cricket decision is the playing surface, not the recent form table. A dry Chepauk turner rewards a different XI than a flat Chinnaswamy track, and a green Mohali morning changes the captain pick again. Reading the pitch report the night before the toss is the highest-use habit a fantasy reader can build.
Insight 02
Captain over eleven
The captain pick is worth more than the eleven. A captain who scores 40 with two boundaries earns 96 fantasy points before any milestone bonus; the same innings from a non-captain earns 48. The captain multiplier is where most of the season's variance is decided, and the captain pick should be made after reading the surface, not before.
Insight 03
Bankroll beats picks
The desk's strongest readers win not because of better captain picks but because of better bankroll habits. A fixed stake per contest, three small contests instead of one big one, and a hard stop after three straight losses are the boring habits that keep readers in the contest long enough to learn.
A note on ownership
Ownership percentage is the most under-used input on a fantasy desk. In a large contest, the captain should rarely be the most-picked player. A captain who is owned by 8% of the contest and who fits the surface gives you a swing; a captain who is owned by 60% gives you no differential. Track ownership through the season, not just at the start.
Five reads the desk returns to
Articles, columns and references the desk keeps open in a browser tab through the season.
Match report
MI edge CSK in a 19-over chase
The desk's read on Tuesday's Wankhede fixture and what it means for the rest of the week.
Captain pick
Captain pick of the day
The 4-factor reasoning for tonight's captain pick: surface, form, match-up, role.
Pitch report
Chepauk reading: dry top, slow turn
What the surface looks like 90 minutes before toss, and the fantasy angle.
Team preview
Mumbai Indians: a rebuild on a flat deck
A new opening pair and a death-over reshuffle.
Three things to carry into the next page
A short reading-end summary for the desk's match-day readers.
1
The surface is the input
Read the pitch report before you read the line-up. The surface dictates the captain pool more reliably than the recent form table. A dry turner and a flat deck are different games; treat them as such.
2
The captain is the output
Pick the captain after the surface, form and match-up all point one way. If they do not point one way, pick the differential. The captain pick is the single biggest source of variance in any contest.
3
The bankroll is the discipline
Fixed stake per contest, three small contests instead of one big one, walk away after three losses. The boring habits are the ones that keep winners in the contest long enough to learn.
Editorial reminder
IPL Fantasy Score is an editorial publication. We do not run a paid fantasy platform; we publish coverage. The desk's habit is to describe the captain logic in plain language and let the reader decide. We do not promise winning teams. We publish reasoning.