Wecap salary cap guide — 100 credits across 11 players
A working guide to the 100-credit salary cap: how to anchor premiums, where to leave spare for differentials, and how the captain pick desk fits inside the cap.
The 100-credit cap, explained
Every Wecap contest uses a 100-credit cap. Spend across eleven players; each player has a salary drawn from recent form, role and venue.
Total salary across eleven players cannot exceed 100 credits. Most rosters leave 0–2 credits spare.
Eleven players: 1 wicket-keeper, 3–5 batters, 3–5 bowlers, 1–3 all-rounders.
Captain earns 2× points; vice-captain earns 1.5×. Both multipliers count against the cap.
The cap is computed at the toss. Late changes to the playing XI after the toss do not change the cap.
A worked salary cap example
The ledger below walks through one matchday build for India vs Australia. The same logic works for ODI, Test and T10.
Spend the 100 credits across 11 players
Five rules for the next matchday
The desk applies the same five rules every matchday. They are short, repeatable and open to audit.
- 1Lock the venue
Wankhede behaves differently from Chepauk. Build the roster around the conditions you'll actually face.
- 2Anchor three premiums
Two batters and one all-rounder cover most point ceilings. The fourth premium is where most teams break their cap.
- 3Pick the C/VC on form, not reputation
The captain pick desk ranks by recent SR, not by jersey number. Use the same lens every match.
- 4Save 6-8 cr for differentials
Two cheap bowlers in form can win a contest when the premium captain fails. The differential column is your upside insurance.
- 5Re-check the playing XI
Toss and last-minute changes break 30% of pre-match rosters. Build after the toss, not before.
How the cap shifts by format
The cap stays at 100 credits across T20, ODI, Test and T10. What changes is where the credits go.
| Lens | T20 | ODI | Test | T10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top captain salary | 11 cr | 11 cr | 10.5 cr | 11 cr |
| Cheapest regular | 6.5 cr | 6.5 cr | 6.0 cr | 6.0 cr |
| Premium role | Death bowler | Anchor bat | All-rounder | Power hitter |
| Differential sweet spot | Death-overs seamer | Middle-overs spinner | New-ball partner | Quick-bowl finisher |
| Captain weight | 2× on ceiling | 2× on anchor | 2× on long innings | 2× on aggression |
Where the 100 credits come from
The 100-credit cap is calibrated so that an 11-player roster of well-balanced players can be assembled without leaving credits unused. The mathematics is straightforward; the practice is where the desk earns its keep.
Each player carries a salary drawn from three sources: recent form, role security, and venue record. Premium players sit at 10.5–11 cr; all-rounders sit at 9–10.5 cr; mid-price batters sit at 8–9.5 cr; differential bowlers sit at 6.5–8 cr.
The cap of 100 forces a choice: anchor three premiums (3 × 11 cr = 33 cr) and fill the rest with mid-price and differential picks, or anchor two premiums and spend the freed cap on a stronger differential column. The desk runs both builds and records the result.
What the desk does not do is chase a single mega anchor that consumes 12–13 cr. Such a player exists in some matchday windows, but the freed cap is rarely enough to cover the differential column, and the differential column is what wins contests when the anchor fails.
Three build patterns the desk runs
Three build patterns cover most matchday windows. Each pattern has a different ceiling and floor.
Three premiums at 10.5–11 cr each, two differentials at 6.5–7.5 cr, the rest mid-price. Best when the matchday has a clear favourite and the ceiling pick is obvious.
Two premiums at 10.5–11 cr, three differentials at 6.5–7.5 cr, the rest mid-price. Best when the matchday has multiple plausible captains and the ceiling pick is contested.
One premium at 11 cr, four differentials at 6.5–7.5 cr, the rest mid-price. Best when the favourite is on a flat track and the differential column is the upside path.
Reader questions about the Wecap salary cap
Reader questions sent to the desk in the last quarter, answered in editorial voice. Send yours via /contact/.
Can the salary cap change between contests?
The cap is fixed at 100 credits across T20, ODI, Test and T10 contests. The cap does not change between contests in the same cycle.
What happens if a player's salary changes after the toss?
The salary is locked at the toss. Mid-day salary updates do not affect your XI; the player keeps the salary they had at lock.
How is salary determined?
Salary is a function of recent form, role security and venue record. The matrix at /captain-pick-guide/ documents the formula. Salaries update daily during match windows.
Can I trade players between contests?
Wecap does not run a trade market. Players can be dropped or added between contests; salaries update with the latest form, role and venue record.
What if I go over the 100-credit cap?
The XI build rejects the lineup if it exceeds the cap. You must drop a player or pick a cheaper alternative before the lock.
How salaries move across a calendar
Salaries update daily during match windows. The cycle below covers a typical month.
- 1Form surge (3-5 matches)
A player who performs across 3-5 matches sees a salary surge. Premiums rise from 10.5 to 11 cr; mid-price rises from 8 to 9 cr.
- 2Plateau (5-10 matches)
After 5-10 matches, salaries plateau. The salary is calibrated to the player's recent form, role security and venue record.
- 3Form dip (2-3 matches)
A 2-3 match dip reduces salaries by 0.5-1 cr. The dip is reflected in the daily update; the matrix accounts for the dip.
- 4Recovery (3-5 matches)
After a dip, recovery takes 3-5 matches. Salaries return to the player's typical band.
Cap mathematics, deeper
The cap mathematics can be pushed deeper. Three patterns show up in the verified winners ledger.
Three premiums at 10.5–11 cr each, two differentials at 6.5–7.5 cr. The cleanest build. Wins about 30% of matchdays in the verified ledger.
Two premiums at 10.5–11 cr, three differentials at 6.5–7.5 cr. More flexible but harder to build. Wins about 25% of matchdays.
One premium at 11 cr, four differentials at 6.5–7.5 cr. High upside, low floor. Wins about 18% of matchdays but with larger payouts.
When to break the rules
The salary cap playbook has rules, but the rules are meant to be broken when the matchday calls for it. Three cases show up regularly.
- 1When the captain pick is overwhelmingly dominant
If the captain pick matrix puts one player 20%+ ahead of the next, the cap flex is justified. Three premiums is the default; four is the exception.
- 2When the differential column is rich
If the differential column has three or more candidates in form at sub-7 cr prices, the cap flex is justified. Five differentials is the maximum.
- 3When the venue is decisive
If the venue record is decisive (e.g., Wankhede vs Chepauk for spinners), the cap flex is justified. The venue column at 20% matters more than the form column at 30%.