What the lab does not guarantee
PlayExch publishes analysis for informational and educational purposes. The lab does not guarantee the accuracy of any captain pick, contest strategy, or fantasy-point projection.
No guaranteed wins
Fantasy cricket involves an element of chance. No methodology, no matter how rigorous, can guarantee wins. The lab's 61% captain hit rate is a 90-day rolling average — past performance does not guarantee future results.
No warranty on picks
The lab does not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any published pick. The lab's picks are decision-support tools, not financial advice. The reader is responsible for the final squad decision.
No financial advice
The lab does not provide financial advice. The lab's content is editorial and analytical — it does not constitute investment, financial, or legal advice. Readers should consult qualified professionals for financial decisions.
Editorial boundary
The lab maintains a strict editorial boundary between analysis and advice. Lab reports are analytical; the lab does not recommend specific contest entries or specific stake sizes. The boundary is enforced by the editor-in-chief.
Where the lab's data comes from
PlayExch uses publicly available match data, contest result archives, ownership distribution feeds, and self-collected squad logs.
Match data
Ball-by-ball feeds from official tournament data partners. Cross-checked against broadcast records. Time-stamped at ingestion. Every dataset has a version number that's locked once a report publishes.
Ownership data
Public ownership feeds from major Indian contest platforms, sampled every 30 seconds during contest open windows. The lab uses an averaged-ownership metric to smooth out late-team-lock spikes.
Contest result archives
Final contest standings from publicly published leaderboards. Used for hit-rate calculations and ROI audits. The lab holds a private archive but never publishes player-level data without consent.
Self-collected squad logs
A subset of PlayExch readers voluntarily submit their squad picks at lock time. The lab uses this self-collected sample to validate projection-model outputs against actual reader behavior.
The reader's responsibility
The reader is responsible for verifying the legal status of fantasy cricket in their state, for playing within their means, and for complying with applicable laws.
State-specific rules
The lab publishes state-by-state rules on the is-legal page. The reader is responsible for verifying the rules in their state before entering paid contests. The lab does not enter contests on the reader's behalf.
Play within your means
Fantasy cricket is a recreational activity. The lab strongly recommends playing within your means. The lab's responsible-play page covers deposit limits, self-exclusion, and external support organizations.
Age verification
Fantasy cricket is for 18+ Indian residents only. The lab enforces the 18+ rule through PAN-based KYC. The reader is responsible for complying with the age requirement.
KYC compliance
Withdrawals above ₹10,000 cumulative require KYC verification. The reader is responsible for completing KYC before requesting large withdrawals. The lab's KYC process is documented on the wallet-kyc page.
Disclaimer questions, answered
The most common questions about disclaimer on PlayExch, with detailed answers.
Does the lab guarantee wins?
No. Fantasy cricket involves an element of chance. No methodology, no matter how rigorous, can guarantee wins. The lab's 61% captain hit rate is a 90-day rolling average — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Is the lab's content financial advice?
No. The lab does not provide financial advice. The lab's content is editorial and analytical. Readers should consult qualified professionals for financial decisions.
Where does the lab's data come from?
Ball-by-ball feeds from official tournament data partners, ownership data from public contest-platform feeds, contest result archives from publicly published leaderboards, and self-collected squad logs from volunteer readers.
Am I responsible for verifying my state's rules?
Yes. The lab publishes state-by-state rules on the is-legal page, but the reader is responsible for verifying the rules in their state before entering paid contests.
Does the lab recommend specific stake sizes?
No. The lab maintains a strict editorial boundary between analysis and advice. The lab does not recommend specific contest entries or specific stake sizes. The boundary is enforced by the editor-in-chief.
Ready to start with PlayExch?
Read the lab reports, pick a contest tier, run ten squads with the captain reads, and audit your ROI after fifty contests.Cricket readers should note that read the lab reports, pick a contest tier, run ten squads with the captain reads, and audit your ROI after fifty contests.
The lab's deeper perspective on disclaimer
Beyond the headline content, the lab's editorial team publishes a longer read on the underlying dynamics, the historical context, and the future direction.
Historical context
The fantasy cricket market has evolved through three phases. Phase 1 (2008-2015) was the early-adopter phase — Dream11 was the dominant operator and the captain-pick methodology was largely gut-driven. Phase 2 (2016-2022) was the data-driven phase — operators introduced live-match data feeds and projection models became more sophisticated. Phase 3 (2023-present) is the transparency phase — readers demand methodology disclosure, hit-rate auditing, and assumption-risk documentation. The lab was founded in 2023 to serve Phase 3 readers.
Underlying dynamics
The underlying dynamics of fantasy cricket are driven by three forces. The first is the ownership distribution — when ownership spikes, the differential edge compresses. The second is the venue read — venue-aware picks outperform venue-blind picks by 11 points in hit rate. The third is the form curve — recent form is a stronger predictor than career average. The lab's research covers all three forces in depth.
Future direction
The fantasy cricket market is moving toward three futures. The first is increased regulation — state gaming authorities are tightening the rules around paid contests. The second is increased transparency — readers demand methodology disclosure and hit-rate auditing. The third is increased automation — AI-driven captain picks and squad optimization are becoming mainstream. The lab is positioned for all three futures.
Lab's editorial position
The lab's editorial position is that fantasy cricket is a research-grade problem. Captain picks are not gut calls — they are data-driven decisions backed by methodology, dataset versioning, and assumption-risk documentation. The lab's editorial principles are published on the owner page. The lab's editorial standards are reviewed quarterly by the editorial board.
The lab's extended perspective
A longer-form walk-through of the underlying dynamics, the data behind the recommendations, and the lab's analytical approach.For the disclaimer desk, a longer-form walk-through of the underlying dynamics, the data behind the recommendations, and the lab's analytical approach.
Methodology in depth
The lab's methodology is built on a five-stage pipeline. Every published report passes through framing, dataset pull, analysis, assumption-risk documentation, and re-test. The pipeline is published in full on the methodology page. The lab's edge comes from data freshness and analyst expertise, not from a secret formula. Other analysts can re-run the experiments with the published datasets and the published model code. The lab publishes every dataset version and every model version. The lab never quietly updates a dataset after the conclusion lands.For the disclaimer desk, the lab's methodology is built on a five-stage pipeline. Within the PlayExch framework, every published report passes through framing, dataset pull, analysis, assumption-risk documentation, and re-test. Disclaimer readers should note that the pipeline is published in full on the methodology page. The lab's edge comes from data freshness and analyst expertise, not from a secret formula This is why the disclaimer desk treats it as a baseline. Other analysts can re-run the experiments with the published datasets and the published model code. On disclaimer, the lab publishes every dataset version and every model version. For the disclaimer desk, the lab never quietly updates a dataset after the conclusion lands.
Data sources in depth
The lab pulls data from four primary sources. Match data comes from official tournament data partners, cross-checked against broadcast records. Ownership data comes from public contest-platform feeds, sampled every 30 seconds during contest open windows. Contest result archives come from publicly published leaderboards. Self-collected squad logs come from volunteer readers who submit their picks at lock time. Each source has a published quality score and a published latency benchmark. The lab's data-quality framework is reviewed quarterly by the statistics team.For the disclaimer desk, the lab pulls data from four primary sources. Within the PlayExch framework, match data comes from official tournament data partners, cross-checked against broadcast records. Disclaimer readers should note that ownership data comes from public contest-platform feeds, sampled every 30 seconds during contest open windows. Contest result archives come from publicly published leaderboards This is why the disclaimer desk treats it as a baseline. Self-collected squad logs come from volunteer readers who submit their picks at lock time. On disclaimer, each source has a published quality score and a published latency benchmark. For the disclaimer desk, the lab's data-quality framework is reviewed quarterly by the statistics team.
Reader-safety commitments
The lab's reader-safety commitments cover deposit limits, self-exclusion, play-time alerts, loss trackers, cool-down reminders, and family-controls integration. The lab publishes the safety commitments on the responsible-play page. The lab refuses to partner with operators that do not enforce responsible-play defaults. The lab's reader-safety framework is reviewed annually by an external auditor.For the disclaimer desk, the lab's reader-safety commitments cover deposit limits, self-exclusion, play-time alerts, loss trackers, cool-down reminders, and family-controls integration. Within the PlayExch framework, the lab publishes the safety commitments on the responsible-play page. Disclaimer readers should note that the lab refuses to partner with operators that do not enforce responsible-play defaults. The lab's reader-safety framework is reviewed annually by an external auditor This is why the disclaimer desk treats it as a baseline.
Editorial principles
The lab operates by five public editorial principles. No sponsored picks — no contest operator, brand, or individual can pay the lab to feature a captain pick. Methodology is public — every model's code is published on the methodology page. Misses are published — every Monday morning the lab publishes the previous week's misses alongside the hits. Reader-funded economics — the lab's long-term economics rely on reader subscriptions and contest-entry referrals, not on advertising. Responsible play by default — every contest lobby on the lab's partner platforms shows a responsible-play banner.For the disclaimer desk, the lab operates by five public editorial principles. Within the PlayExch framework, no sponsored picks — no contest operator, brand, or individual can pay the lab to feature a captain pick. Disclaimer readers should note that methodology is public — every model's code is published on the methodology page. Misses are published — every Monday morning the lab publishes the previous week's misses alongside the hits This is why the disclaimer desk treats it as a baseline. Reader-funded economics — the lab's long-term economics rely on reader subscriptions and contest-entry referrals, not on advertising. On disclaimer, responsible play by default — every contest lobby on the lab's partner platforms shows a responsible-play banner.
Quarterly transparency
Every quarter the lab publishes a transparency report covering methodology changes, hit-rate recalibrations, partner-operator relationships, and revenue mix. The report is published on the 15th of the month following quarter end. The most recent report covers Q1 2026 and shows a 61% captain hit rate over the trailing 90 days, a 48/47/5 revenue split between subscriptions, referrals, and other, and four partner operators. The report is available on the disclosure page.For the disclaimer desk, every quarter the lab publishes a transparency report covering methodology changes, hit-rate recalibrations, partner-operator relationships, and revenue mix. Within the PlayExch framework, the report is published on the 15th of the month following quarter end. Disclaimer readers should note that the most recent report covers Q1 2026 and shows a 61% captain hit rate over the trailing 90 days, a 48/47/5 revenue split between subscriptions, referrals, and other, and four partner operators. The report is available on the disclosure page This is why the disclaimer desk treats it as a baseline.
