Fantasy Cricket Draft

Snake draft or auction draft — your call.

PitchRival gives your league a live draft room with real-time picks, a configurable timer, auto-pick fallback, and full commissioner controls. Choose the format that fits your group.

Start your draft league — free
Snake Draft

Fair, fast, and beginner-friendly

Teams pick in a fixed order that reverses each round — so the manager who picks 1st in round 1 picks last in round 2. No budget to track, no bidding wars. Just a clean turn-based draft.

  • Rounds reverse each round (snake order)
  • Configurable timer: 30s – 3 min per pick
  • Auto-pick uses AI-ranked best player available
  • Pre-rank a personal queue before going live
  • Supports keeper leagues (round-cost deduction)
  • Commissioner can pause or manually advance picks
Auction Draft

Strategic, competitive, and chaotic

Every team starts with the same budget. Any manager can nominate any player, and the room bids in real time. Great squads require smart budget allocation — blow it all on Virat Kohli and you'll regret it.

  • Equal salary cap for every team
  • Any manager nominates any player
  • Bid deadline extends on late bids
  • Live budget tracker per team
  • Supports keeper leagues (salary deduction)
  • Auto-nominate mode for faster drafts

Everything your draft room needs

Live draft room

Real-time picks update instantly for all managers. No refresh needed.

AI player rankings

IPL 2026 player pool ranked by projected fantasy points, updated weekly.

Role-aware auto-pick

Auto-pick fills BAT/AR/BWL/WK minimums before drafting on pure ranking — so you don't end up with 11 batters.

Commissioner controls

Pause the clock, skip a pick, adjust roster size, and set the timer. Full control.

Draft recap page

After the draft every pick is catalogued by round with grade and analysis.

Keeper league support

Designate keepers pre-draft with round-cost or salary-deduction pricing.

Draft FAQ

What is a snake draft in fantasy cricket?

In a snake draft, teams pick players in a set order that reverses each round. If you pick 3rd in round 1, you pick 3rd-to-last in round 2. This balances the advantage of early picks across the whole draft. Snake drafts are fast, fair, and the most popular format for fantasy cricket leagues.

What is an auction draft in fantasy cricket?

In an auction draft, every team starts with the same budget and bids on players in real-time. Any manager can nominate any player, and the highest bidder wins. Auction drafts require deeper strategy — you must balance spending on stars against having enough budget to fill your full squad.

How long does a fantasy cricket draft take?

A snake draft for an 8-team league with 15-player rosters takes 30–45 minutes with a 60-second timer. You can speed it up by reducing the timer, or slow it down for a more deliberate experience. Auction drafts typically run 60–90 minutes.

What happens if someone misses their pick?

PitchRival's auto-pick system handles missed turns automatically. It selects the highest-ranked available player based on AI projections, filling required roles (batters, all-rounders, bowlers, wicket-keeper) before picking on pure ranking.

Can I set keepers before the draft?

Yes. PitchRival supports keeper leagues — managers designate one or more players from last season to keep before the draft, at a cost (a draft-round penalty or salary deduction). The commissioner configures keeper rules when setting up the league.

Do I have to be available live for the draft?

No. If you miss your slot, auto-pick takes over. You can also pre-rank your player queue so the system picks in your preferred order if you get disconnected.

Ready to draft?

Create your league in 2 minutes. Invite your friends. Draft.

Start your draft league — free