Fantasy cricket looks simple from the outside: pick eleven players, and score points when they perform. But the points system underneath is detailed, and understanding it is the difference between guessing and building a team with a plan. Every run, wicket, catch and maiden has a value, and the captain and vice-captain multipliers can double or nearly double a player's score. This guide explains the Dream11 points system for T20 matches in plain language, so you can build your team around the scoring rules instead of around hunches.

Batting Points: Runs, Boundaries and Bonuses

In T20 fantasy scoring, a batter earns one point for every run scored, plus one bonus point for every four and two bonus points for every six. Milestones add more: a half-century earns a bonus, and a century earns a larger one. A batter who scores 60 runs with four fours and two sixes earns 60 points for the runs, 4 for the fours, 4 for the sixes, and a half-century bonus on top, before any multiplier. That is why top-order batters who face the most balls are so valuable: every ball they face is a chance to add points. But there are deductions too. A batter who is dismissed for a duck loses points, and a slow innings can lose points through a low strike rate. A 30 off 35 balls scores fewer points than a 30 off 18 balls, so strike rate matters as much as the total.

Being named in the starting eleven also earns points on most platforms, usually four points, which is a small but reliable bonus for every player you pick. That is one reason to avoid players who might not play: a non-playing pick scores nothing at all.

Bowling and Fielding Points

Bowlers earn 25 points per wicket in T20 matches, which makes wickets the single most valuable action in the game. A three-wicket haul earns 75 points, and bonuses for four or five wickets add more. A maiden over earns 12 points, and economy rate matters: a bowler who concedes very few runs earns bonus points, while an expensive spell loses points. That is why death bowlers and new-ball bowlers are prized: they bowl in phases where wickets are most likely. Fielding points are smaller but add up. A catch earns 8 points, a stumping or a direct run-out earns 12, and a run-out where the points are shared earns 6 each. Wicketkeepers who bat in the top order are valuable because they score in all three categories: batting, keeping and sometimes bowling.

The exact numbers vary slightly between platforms, and some platforms award different points for the same action. Always check the point table for the specific contest you are entering, because a rule that is true on one app may not be true on another.

Captain, Vice-Captain and the Multiplier Effect

The captain earns double points and the vice-captain earns 1.5 times points, and this single choice can swing your rank by thousands of places. A player who scores 60 points contributes 120 as captain or 90 as vice-captain, so the gap between a good and a bad captain pick is often larger than the gap between the rest of your team combined. That is why all-rounders are the most popular captain choices: a player who bats in the top five and bowls three or four overs has two or three ways to score big, and the multiplier applies to all of them. A pure batter who fails scores few points even as captain, while an all-rounder who fails with the bat can still take wickets.

One important note: after India's 2025 online gaming law, Dream11 paused all paid contests and now runs free-to-play contests with non-cash rewards. The points system itself is unchanged, and the strategy still applies, but the stakes are different. Whatever platform you play on, start every team by reading its point table, and build your captain choice around the player with the most paths to a big score, not just the biggest name on the teamsheet.