Every week we interview players who have finished in the top 0.1% of a paid contest. Their logic varies wildly — some play six lineups per match, some play exactly one — but they all share three habits: clear captaincy logic, careful pitch reading, and a willingness to leave points on the table by skipping uncertain fixtures.
Aniket from Pune — rank 2 out of 84,213
"I captained the in-form all-rounder and saved two big-name batters for the second innings. The differential call was the second spinner."
Aniket built eight lineups for a single match night: four in the ₹25 small leagues (to play safe captaincy choices), two in the ₹100 mid-size leagues (aggressive captaincy), and two in the mega contest (most aggressive, including two players under 4% ownership). His mega lineups finished top 1%; the smaller lineups barely cleared.
Riya from Bengaluru — 38-2 streak over nine weeks
"I only played matches where I had a strong pitch read. Skipping uncertain fixtures kept my streak alive for nine weeks."
Riya's approach was counterintuitive: she played only the matches where she was confident about a captaincy edge, and skipped matches entirely when the venue was unfamiliar or the opposition offered no clear differential. Across nine weeks, she played 38 of 60 fixtures and posted a 95% head-to-head win rate.
Sameer from Kolkata — ROI 412% over a season
"I joined 20 small leagues with two lineups each — one safe, one aggressive. The aggressive lineup won nine out of twenty times."
Sameer focuses on ₹25 small leagues with 3-team payouts. He plays two lineups per match, one with the consensus top captain, one with his differential pick. The aggressive lineup wins roughly 45% of the time — but the upside is large when it does.
Three habits every winner shared
- Skipping matches where they lacked conviction, instead of forcing a lineup.
- Mixing safe and aggressive lineups rather than going all-in.
- Tracking their own ROI weekly and adjusting contest size to match their edge.
Frequently asked questions
No. We interview winners voluntarily and never pay for testimonials. We verify each win against the public leaderboard before publication.
Head-to-head contests are the simplest format: you win or lose based on a single matchup. They are useful for new players who want to test their captaincy decisions.
Each contest has its own leaderboard. Mega contests rank the highest; small leagues rank by points. The all-time leaderboard across contests is a separate, opt-in ranking.
Filed by IPL Live Fantasy editorial desk · Updated 20 July 2026.