The rules every reader asks about
The most common contest-rule questions, answered with the lab's research-grade detail.
What is the credit cap?
Every squad must fit inside a 100-credit budget. Player credits are set by the contest platform. Top-heavy allocations typically underperform balanced ones in 71% of winning squads.
Can I change my squad after the toss?
No. Squads lock at the toss. Some contests allow last-minute swaps for a small transfer fee. Most contests do not allow any changes after lock.
What is the captain multiplier?
The captain earns 2× the player's fantasy points. The vice-captain earns 1.5×. The captain pick is the single highest-use decision in the squad.
How do I know which contest tier to pick?
The lab recommends starting in small leagues and H2H contests, building a fifty-contest sample, and moving to mega contests once the ROI is positive.
The payout questions
The most common payout questions, answered with timelines and thresholds.
How fast are payouts processed?
UPI withdrawals clear within fifteen minutes during business hours. Bank transfers clear within four hours for IMPS, within二十四 hours for NEFT, and same-day for RTGS.
When is KYC required?
KYC is required for withdrawals above ₹10,000 cumulative. Deposits under ₹10,000 cumulative do not require KYC.
What is the TDS threshold?
TDS applies when net winnings in a financial year cross ₹10,000. Net winnings = total winnings minus total entry fees. The TDS rate is 30%.
What are the withdrawal limits?
Daily: ₹2,00,000. Weekly: ₹10,00,000. Monthly: ₹50,00,000. Limits reset at midnight IST. KYC-verified accounts get higher limits.
The verification questions
The most common KYC and bonus questions, answered with the lab's research-grade detail.
What documents do I need?
PAN + Aadhaar (or PAN + Voter ID, or PAN + Passport). The PAN must match the name on the address proof. Documents are submitted through the in-app KYC flow.
How long does KYC take?
Straightforward submissions verify within twenty-four hours. Edge cases take up to forty-eight hours. Manual review escalations take up to seventy-two hours.
How do I apply the bonus code?
Enter the code in the signup form, or in the wallet screen before your first deposit. The default code is LAB100.
What is the wagering requirement?
The welcome bonus has a 3× wagering requirement on contest entry fees. The credit must be used in contests with combined entry fees of ₹300 before any winnings become withdrawable.
FAQ questions, answered
The most common questions about faq on PlayExch, with detailed answers.
Is fantasy cricket legal in India?
Yes — fantasy cricket is classified as a game of skill by Indian courts. Most states permit paid fantasy cricket for 18+ residents. The lab publishes state-by-state rules on the is-legal page.
What is the minimum age?
18+. The lab enforces the 18+ rule through PAN-based KYC. Accounts found to be held by under-18 users are suspended and balances refunded.
What is the welcome bonus?
The welcome bonus is ₹100 in lab credit on first deposit. The minimum deposit is ₹100. The credit is non-withdrawable but contest winnings from credit-funded entries are withdrawable.
How do I contact support?
Email [email protected], tap the help icon in the app, or call the customer-care number. In-app support is fastest — typical response time is under fifteen minutes during business hours.
Does the lab publish methodology?
Yes. The methodology page publishes the projection-model code, the dataset schema, the hit-rate calculation logic, and the assumption-risk notes. Other analysts can re-run the experiments.
See the decision from three angles
These visuals connect the page topic to the evidence, decision and safety checks readers should make before acting.
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.
The lab's deeper perspective on faq
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.