What is cricket DFS?
Cricket DFS is daily fantasy cricket played for real money on US-regulated platforms. You build a squad for a single match under a fixed budget, pick a captain and vice-captain for bonus points, and score live as the game unfolds — the same format cricket fans know from Dream11, in the American “daily fantasy sports” wrapper.
What does “DFS” mean?
DFS stands for daily fantasy sports: instead of managing a team all season, you draft a new lineup for a single day or match, enter a contest, and it settles that same day. It's how Americans play fantasy for money on platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel. Cricket DFS is simply that model applied to cricket — and because it's a peer-to-peer game of skill, it's legal for cash in most US states.
Credits or salary cap?
Cricket DFS uses a credit budget: every player has a credit value, and you build your XI within a fixed number of credits — identical to Dream11. American team sports (NFL, MLB, NBA) use a dollar salary cap instead. Different unit, same idea: the stars cost the most, so you can't fit them all and every pick is a trade-off. On Runtiva, cricket stays on the credit-budget format you already know.
Cricket DFS terms, quickly
- Credits / budget — the cap you build your squad under; premium players cost more credits.
- Captain (C) & vice-captain (VC) — your captain scores 2× points and your vice-captain 1.5×. These two picks swing most contests.
- Slate — the set of matches a contest draws from (usually a single cricket match).
- Lock — when your lineup freezes and can no longer be edited. In cricket that's the first ball.
- Contest types — head-to-head, 50/50 and double-ups, and GPPs (large tournaments with top-heavy prizes).
How is cricket DFS scored?
Players earn points for what they actually do on the field: batters for runs, boundaries, and milestones (with a penalty for a duck); bowlers for wickets, maidens, dot balls, and economy; fielders for catches, stumpings, and run-outs. Scoring is format-aware — a T20 rewards different things than a Test — and on Runtiva your total updates within seconds of every ball. The full breakdown lives in our fantasy cricket guide and the contest rules.
Where to play cricket DFS
Runtiva runs cricket DFS across the tournaments US fans follow — Major League Cricket, the IPL, T20 leagues worldwide, and international series — plus American sports in the same wallet. Free contests are live now; paid contests open July 23, 2026. If you're coming from Dream11, start with the real-money alternatives for US players.
Frequently asked questions
Is cricket DFS the same as Dream11?
The format is the same idea: build a squad under a fixed budget and pick a captain and vice-captain for multiplied points. 'DFS' is just the American term for playing it daily, for money, on a US-regulated platform. Dream11 no longer offers cash contests anywhere.
Does cricket DFS use a salary cap or credits?
For cricket, Runtiva uses a credit budget — each player has a credit value and you build within a fixed budget, exactly like Dream11. US team sports use a dollar salary cap instead. Both are the same idea: you can't afford every star, so you make trade-offs.
What is a slate in DFS?
A slate is the set of matches a contest covers. Cricket contests are usually single-match slates, while US sports often bundle a day's games into one slate.
Is cricket DFS gambling?
Paid cricket DFS on Runtiva is peer-to-peer: prize pools are funded by players and won by players, and outcomes depend on your research and roster construction, not on betting against the house. US law treats skill-based DFS differently from sports betting.