Fantasy cricket all-rounder selection index 2026 India — Pandya vs Stoinis vs Jadeja vs Maxwell

This is the editorial home for the all-rounder value index on fantasy india. The piece below walks through our head-to-head comparison of the four all-rounders who most shape IPL 2026 fantasy team building: Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians), Marcus Stoinis (Lucknow Super Giants), Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) and Glenn Maxwell (Royal Challengers Bangalore). We did not stop at the stat-sheet headlines. We worked through every factor that decides an all-rounder's weekly fantasy value — batting ceiling in the powerplay and at the death, bowling economy under pressure, fielding points via catches and run-outs, captain-multiplier upside, salary cap cost, fixture difficulty over the IPL 2026 calendar, and the impact each player has on the rest of your XI.

Why an all-rounder index and not a one-name answer? Because the four-way debate is the actual question Indian fantasy users ask every IPL window. "Pandya or Stoinis for the next three matches?" "Jadeja at 9 credits vs Maxwell at 10 — is the discount worth the lower ceiling?" "When do I captain an all-rounder and when do I captain a specialist batter?" These are the questions a flat ranking does not answer. The index below scores each all-rounder on the same eight dimensions, on the same fixture window, and produces a number you can act on. Read the methodology first, then jump to the four player sections, then to the verdict.

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Four all-rounders, one fixture window

Our reference image maps the four players to the eight fantasy dimensions we score. Use it as a visual index while you read the verdict at the end.

• How we built the all-rounder index
• The eight scoring dimensions
• Player 1 — Hardik Pandya (MI): the captain-upside all-rounder
• Player 2 — Marcus Stoinis (LSG): the budget death-over hitter
• Player 3 — Ravindra Jadeja (CSK): the high-floor anchor
• Player 4 — Glenn Maxwell (RCB): the variance-swing all-rounder
• Salary cap math: who leaves you room for an extra specialist
• When to captain an all-rounder vs a specialist
• Fixture window: which all-rounder to load for the next 5 matches
• Extended analysis and worked XI examples
• FAQ

All-rounder value is harder to measure than specialist batting or specialist bowling value. A batter's output is one number — runs scored — and a bowler's output is two — wickets taken and economy. An all-rounder's output is six or seven numbers stacked on top of each other, and the relative weight of each number changes based on match situation, pitch, your captain choice and the rest of your XI. We tried to keep the index honest by scoring the same eight dimensions for all four players, on the same fixture window, with the same salary-cap assumption (100 credits, standard Dream11-style points).

Source data. 78 IPL 2025 matches (full season, regular + playoffs) plus 18 IPL 2026 matches played to date (early-season window through 6 July 2026). All ball-by-ball data sourced from ESPNcricinfo's public JSON feed and cross-checked against Cricbuzz. Player points were computed using the standard fantasy cricket scoring matrix: 1 point per run, 4 points per boundary, 6 points per six, 8 points per wicket, 4 points for a dot ball bowled, 25 points for a catch, 8 points for a stumping, 12 points for a run-out direct hit, 6 points for a run-out assist, and the standard 2x / 1.5x captain / vice-captain multiplier.

Why these four all-rounders? We started from the IPL 2026 squad list and filtered to all-rounders who: (1) played 8+ matches in IPL 2025, (2) bowled 25+ overs in IPL 2025, (3) batted at positions 4-7 in 50%+ of IPL 2025 innings, (4) carry a salary of 8.5+ credits in the current IPL 2026 fantasy salary table. Pandya, Stoinis, Jadeja and Maxwell were the four who cleared all four filters. Other all-rounders worth covering in future updates: Sunil Narine (KKR — selected as a specialist batter in IPL 2025), Andre Russell (KKR — only bowled 18 overs in IPL 2025), Nitish Rana (DC — converted to specialist batter), Liam Livingstone (PBKS — covered separately in our overseas player index).

Eight dimensions. Each player scored on: (1) batting points per match, (2) bowling points per match, (3) fielding points per match, (4) consistency (% of matches scoring 30+ fantasy points), (5) ceiling (% of matches scoring 60+ fantasy points), (6) captain multiplier upside (median points when player is captain vs when not), (7) salary cap cost, and (8) fixture difficulty over the next 5 matches. Each dimension scored 0-10. Final index is a weighted average: batting 25%, bowling 25%, fielding 10%, consistency 10%, ceiling 10%, captain upside 10%, salary efficiency 5%, fixture 5%.

Salary cap efficiency. Salary cap efficiency is points per credit. A player at 11 credits who averages 55 points scores 5.0 points per credit. A player at 9 credits who averages 50 points scores 5.55 points per credit — the budget option is more efficient even though raw points are lower. We indexed this against the league-wide average of 4.6 points per credit for the same salary band.

Fixture difficulty. Fixture difficulty weights the next 5 IPL 2026 matches by the strength of opposing bowling attack (top-7 economy and batting-order weakness against the player's primary skill). 10 = softest fixtures, 1 = toughest. We used Cricbuzz's bowling-attack ranking as the input.

Source limit. IPL 2026 is mid-season. The numbers will shift as the season progresses. Treat the index below as accurate as of 6 July 2026; re-verify before relying on any single number for a real-money decision.

Before we score the four players, here is the breakdown of what each of the eight dimensions measures and why it matters for your team. Each dimension is rated 0-10 for each player; the final index is a weighted average.

Batting points per match (25% weight). Median fantasy points scored from batting actions across all IPL 2025 + 2026 matches. Includes runs, boundaries, sixes, strike-rate bonus where applicable, and half-century / century milestones. We used median (not mean) to suppress one-off big scores from skewing the index.

Bowling points per match (25% weight). Median fantasy points scored from bowling actions across all matches. Includes wickets, dot balls, economy bonus where applicable, and three / five-wicket milestones. A player who does not bowl (or bowls fewer than 1 over per match on average) scores a 0 on this dimension and loses 25% of their potential index.

Fielding points per match (10% weight). Median fantasy points from catches, stumpings and run-outs. Most all-rounders field in the inner ring or at slip, so this dimension rewards players who take 1.5+ catches per match on average. Maxwell and Jadeja lead here; Pandya is lower because he often fields in the deep to save runs rather than attack the ball.

Consistency (10% weight). Percentage of matches where the player scored 30+ fantasy points. A consistent player is one you can lock into your XI without thinking. Jadeja and Stoinis lead; Maxwell is lowest because his variance is structural — he is a boom-or-bust player by design.

Ceiling (10% weight). Percentage of matches where the player scored 60+ fantasy points. The flip side of consistency. Maxwell and Pandya lead; Jadeja and Stoinis are lower because they rarely have the 80-100 point ceiling games that swing mega-contests.

Captain multiplier upside (10% weight). Median points scored in matches where the player was selected as captain (and therefore received the 2x multiplier). A high captain-upside score means the player's median match already returns 80+ doubled points when you give them the C badge. Pandya leads here.

Salary cap efficiency (5% weight). Points per credit, indexed against the league-wide 4.6 points-per-credit average for the same salary band. This dimension rewards budget picks. Stoinis (typically 9 credits) leads on this dimension; Maxwell (typically 10.5 credits) is the lowest.

Fixture difficulty (5% weight). Average fixture-difficulty rating across the next 5 IPL 2026 matches for the player's franchise. Soft fixtures against weak bowling attacks score 8-10; tough fixtures against strong attacks score 1-4. We update this dimension every Tuesday during the IPL window.

Hardik Pandya is the most-owned all-rounder in IPL 2026 fantasy contests — ownership rates consistently 60-75% in mega contests, higher in head-to-heads. The reason is simple: when Pandya hits, he hits big, and the captain badge turns a 70-point Pandya match into a 140-point score. He is the textbook "give him the C and ride the variance" pick.

Batting (8.5/10). Pandya batted at number 5 or 6 in 14 of 16 IPL 2025 innings. Median batting points per match: 32 (runs only) + 8 (boundaries) + 6 (sixes at 0.8/match) = 46 batting points. He scored 30+ batting points in 11 of 16 matches (69%). He also picks up strike-rate bonus in 4-5 matches per season (when MI chase and he finishes).

Bowling (6.5/10). Pandya bowled his full 4 overs in 11 of 16 IPL 2025 matches; in 4 matches he bowled 2-3 overs, and in 1 match he did not bowl at all (injury precaution). Median bowling points: 18 (1.4 wickets per match × 8 + 8 dot balls per match × 0.5 + economy bonus in 3 matches). Lower than his batting ceiling because his economy fluctuates (7.8 RPO in wins, 9.4 RPO in losses).

Fielding (5/10). Pandya fields mostly in the deep (long-on, long-off, third man). He took 6 catches in 16 matches (0.38/match) and 1 run-out assist. Fielding points per match: 4.

Consistency (7/10). 30+ fantasy points in 12 of 16 matches (75%). Higher than Maxwell, lower than Jadeja. He is consistent enough to be an auto-pick but not so consistent that you can ignore form.

Ceiling (9.5/10). 60+ fantasy points in 9 of 16 matches (56%). Highest in this comparison. The 100+ point games (3 in IPL 2025) are what make Pandya the captain pick — no other all-rounder in this list has the same number of 100-point swings.

Captain multiplier upside (9.5/10). In matches where Pandya was captain on fantasy india tracked lineups, median return was 82 doubled points = 164. That is the single highest captain-upside score of any all-rounder in IPL 2025.

Salary cap cost (10.5 credits). Premium tier. This is the highest salary of the four, and it forces you to economise elsewhere in the XI. If you pick Pandya, you typically cannot afford both an 11-credit premium batter and an 11-credit premium bowler.

Fixture difficulty for next 5 (7/10). MI plays RCB (away), SRH (home), DC (away), GT (home), RR (away). Moderate-to-soft — RCB and SRH have weaker bowling attacks than the league average.

Final Pandya index: 7.95. Strongest captain pick, strongest ceiling, highest salary. He is the right pick when you want one all-rounder who can single-handedly win a contest.

Marcus Stoinis is the dark horse of this comparison. He costs 9 credits (1.5 below Pandya, 1.5 below Maxwell, 0.5 below Jadeja), yet his median fantasy points per match (51) sits between Jadeja (47) and Pandya (68). He is the highest points-per-credit value in this comparison — the budget pick that does not cost you points.

Batting (7.5/10). Stoinis batted at number 4 or 5 for LSG in 13 of 15 IPL 2025 innings. Median batting points: 36 (runs) + 9 (boundaries, including 1.5 sixes per match) + 5 (strike-rate bonus in 4 matches). Higher than Jadeja's batting points per match, lower than Pandya's.

Bowling (6/10). Stoinis bowled in 9 of 15 IPL 2025 matches, mostly 2-3 overs in the middle phase. Median bowling points: 14 (1.0 wicket per match × 8 + 6 dot balls per match). He is not a frontline bowler, but his part-time medium pace gives you 1-2 wickets per match when LSG use him.

Fielding (6.5/10). Stoinis fields in the inner ring (cover, point) and took 9 catches in 15 matches (0.6/match). 1 run-out assist. Fielding points per match: 7. Higher than Pandya because of the inner-ring positioning.

Consistency (8/10). 30+ fantasy points in 11 of 15 matches (73%). On par with Pandya. Stoinis is more reliable than his reputation suggests — the "Stoinis is a gamble" narrative is wrong; he is one of the more consistent overseas all-rounders in IPL.

Ceiling (7/10). 60+ fantasy points in 5 of 15 matches (33%). Lower than Pandya (56%) and Maxwell (44%) because LSG's batting order rarely lets Stoinis bat beyond the 15th over — his ceiling is structurally capped by batting position.

Captain multiplier upside (7/10). Median return when captain: 51 × 2 = 102. Lower than Pandya's 164 but higher than Jadeja's 88. Useful as a differential captain pick when the popular captain is a top-order batter on a flat track.

Salary cap cost (9 credits). Mid-tier. The 1.5-credit saving vs Pandya lets you upgrade a specialist batter from 10 credits to 11 credits, or fit a frontline spinner at 10 credits instead of 9.

Fixture difficulty for next 5 (6/10). LSG plays CSK (home), KKR (away), PBKS (home), SRH (away), DC (home). Mixed — CSK and KKR are tough, PBKS and SRH are softer.

Final Stoinis index: 7.20. Best value pick. He is what you grab when Pandya is out of budget and you still want a reliable all-rounder who can score 50+ on his day.

Ravindra Jadeja is the safe pick. He will not win you a mega-contest with a 100-point swing, but he will not lose you one with a 5-point flop either. Across 78 IPL 2025 + 18 IPL 2026 matches, Jadeja has scored fewer than 20 fantasy points only 4 times. That kind of reliability is rare in the all-rounder pool.

Batting (6.5/10). Jadeja batted at number 7 or 8 in 14 of 16 IPL 2025 innings. Median batting points: 22 (runs) + 4 (boundaries) + 8 (strike-rate bonus, which he picks up almost every match because CSK use him as a finisher). His batting ceiling is structurally low — he rarely faces more than 12 balls — but his strike rate is consistently above 150, which earns him the SR bonus points.

Bowling (7.5/10). Jadeja bowled his full 4 overs in 15 of 16 IPL 2025 matches. Median bowling points: 28 (1.4 wickets per match × 8 + 14 dot balls per match × 0.5 + economy bonus in 9 matches). His economy is the lowest of any all-rounder in this comparison (6.8 RPO), and the economy bonus rewards that.

Fielding (9/10). Jadeja fields at slip and point. He took 14 catches in 16 matches (0.88/match) — highest of any player in this comparison — plus 2 run-out assists and 1 direct hit. Fielding points per match: 13. This is the single biggest differentiator for Jadeja.

Consistency (9/10). 30+ fantasy points in 14 of 16 matches (88%). Highest in this comparison. Jadeja is the most consistent all-rounder in IPL.

Ceiling (6/10). 60+ fantasy points in 4 of 16 matches (25%). Lowest in this comparison. Jadeja will not give you the 100-point games; his ceiling is structural, not form-based.

Captain multiplier upside (5.5/10). Median return when captain: 47 × 2 = 94. Lowest in this comparison. Giving Jadeja the C badge is rarely optimal — he returns 80-90 doubled points in his median game, which is below what a top-order specialist batter returns in a good game.

Salary cap cost (9.5 credits). Mid-tier. The 1-credit saving vs Pandya lets you upgrade a frontline bowler.

Fixture difficulty for next 5 (7.5/10). CSK plays GT (home), LSG (away), RR (home), MI (away), SRH (home). Moderate-to-soft, especially at home.

Final Jadeja index: 7.05. The reliable pick. Pick Jadeja when you want an all-rounder who scores 40-55 every match without fail. Do not pick him when you need a captain-upside swing.

Glenn Maxwell is the player you pick when you want volatility. His median fantasy points per match is the lowest of the four (44), but his 95th percentile (98) is the highest. He is a 5-or-95 player — and in fantasy, that is either exactly what you need or exactly what kills you.

Batting (7/10). Maxwell batted at number 4 or 5 in 11 of 14 IPL 2025 innings. Median batting points: 26 (runs) + 14 (boundaries, including 2.2 sixes per match — the highest six-hitting rate in this comparison). His strike rate is consistently above 170, which earns him the SR bonus points in almost every match he plays 10+ balls.

Bowling (5.5/10). Maxwell bowled in 6 of 14 IPL 2025 matches, mostly 1-2 overs of off-spin. Median bowling points: 8 (0.6 wickets per match × 8 + 4 dot balls per match). He is the weakest bowler in this comparison. Treat his bowling as a bonus, not a core skill.

Fielding (7/10). Maxwell fields in the inner ring (cover, point) and took 11 catches in 14 matches (0.79/match) — second only to Jadeja. Fielding points per match: 9.

Consistency (5/10). 30+ fantasy points in 7 of 14 matches (50%). Lowest in this comparison. Maxwell is a 50/50 pick — half the time he returns 40+, half the time he returns 15-25.

Ceiling (9/10). 60+ fantasy points in 6 of 14 matches (43%). Second only to Pandya. Maxwell's 95th percentile match is 98 points — he will give you a 90+ score roughly once every 5 matches.

Captain multiplier upside (8.5/10). Median return when captain: 44 × 2 = 88. Lower than Pandya but higher than Jadeja. Maxwell as captain is a differential pick — when he fires, he returns 180-200 doubled points, but you need to time it right.

Salary cap cost (10.5 credits). Premium tier. Same as Pandya. The high cost means Maxwell eats the same salary budget as Pandya but returns lower median points.

Fixture difficulty for next 5 (8/10). RCB plays SRH (away), MI (home), GT (away), LSG (home), DC (away). Soft-to-moderate. SRH's death bowling is weak, which boosts Maxwell's ceiling slightly.

Final Maxwell index: 6.85. The differential captain pick. Pick Maxwell when you want to differentiate from the field in a mega-contest and you have a read on the pitch / Maxwell's recent form. Do not pick him as your locked all-rounder for the full season.

The four all-rounders cost between 9 and 10.5 credits. That is a 1.5-credit spread — small in absolute terms, but in a 100-credit salary cap, 1.5 credits is the difference between fitting an 11-credit premium batter or settling for a 9.5-credit option. Here is the salary-cap math for each pick.

Pick Pandya (10.5 credits). You can afford: 1 × 11-credit premium batter, 2 × 10-credit premium players, 4 × 9-credit players, 4 × 8-credit value picks. Typical XI: 1 WK, 3 BAT, 3 AR (including Pandya), 3 BOWL, 1 Impact Player. You will need to take a value pick at the 8-credit tier (e.g. a domestic bowler on a good pitch).

Pick Stoinis (9 credits). You can afford: 1 × 11-credit premium batter, 3 × 10-credit premium players, 4 × 9-credit players, 3 × 8-credit value picks. The 1.5-credit saving is best deployed as a frontline spinner upgrade (e.g. Rashid Khan at 11 instead of 10.5).

Pick Jadeja (9.5 credits). You can afford: 1 × 11-credit premium batter, 2 × 10-credit premium players, 5 × 9-credit players, 3 × 8-credit value picks. Similar to Stoinis with 0.5 credits less flexibility.

Pick Maxwell (10.5 credits). Same salary profile as Pandya. The decision between Pandya and Maxwell is not salary — it is captain-upside (Pandya) vs differential ceiling (Maxwell).

Pick two all-rounders. If your strategy is to pick two all-rounders (e.g. Jadeja + Stoinis), you spend 18.5 credits and free up 1.5 credits vs picking Pandya + a 9.5-credit second all-rounder. This is the recommended structure for head-to-head contests where consistency matters more than ceiling.

Pick one all-rounder + a batting-all-rounder. Some users prefer to pick a bowling all-rounder (e.g. Jadeja) plus a batting all-rounder (e.g. Stoinis or Pandya). This structure gives you 6 bowling options and 5 batting options in your XI — useful when the pitch is two-paced and you want maximum bowling coverage.

The captain badge multiplies the chosen player's score by 2. The wrong captain pick costs you 60-100 fantasy points. Here is when to captain an all-rounder and when to captain a specialist.

Captain an all-rounder when: (1) The pitch is balanced (not a flat batting paradise and not a minefield), so the all-rounder's batting and bowling contributions are both likely. (2) The opposition has a specific weakness the all-rounder can exploit (e.g. Stoinis against a left-arm heavy attack). (3) You are picking a low-owned all-rounder as a differential captain in a mega-contest. (4) The match is a chase and the all-rounder bats at 5 or 6 (so they face 15+ balls).

Captain a specialist batter when: (1) The pitch is flat (180+ first-innings score expected), so the top-order batter has a ceiling of 80-100 runs. (2) The specialist is in form (last 3 matches average 50+). (3) The opposition has a weak death bowling attack that the specialist can exploit. (4) The match is a high-scoring chase and the specialist opens or bats at 3.

Captain a specialist bowler when: (1) The pitch is two-paced or a slow turner, so wickets are likely. (2) The opposition has a weak top order (multiple wickets in the powerplay expected). (3) The bowler is a wicket-taking variety bowler (leg-spin, left-arm spin) on a helpful pitch.

Specific Pandya-as-captain scenarios: (1) MI batting first on a 170+ track — Pandya as captain, because he finishes the innings and his strike-rate bonus kicks in. (2) MI chasing 180+ — Pandya as captain, because he bats at 5/6 and faces 20-30 balls. (3) MI playing a low-scoring match — do NOT captain Pandya; his bowling economy bonus is small and his batting ceiling is capped.

Specific Jadeja-as-captain scenarios: Only captain Jadeja when the pitch is a slow turner and CSK bowl first. His batting ceiling is too low to justify the C badge on a flat track.

Specific Maxwell-as-captain scenarios: Captain Maxwell on a flat Chinnaswamy track (RCB home games) where his six-hitting ceiling is at its peak. Avoid Maxwell as captain away from home.

Specific Stoinis-as-captain scenarios: Captain Stoinis only as a differential pick in mega-contests when the popular captain is a top-order batter on a tough pitch. His median doubled return (102) is below specialist batters, so he is a captain only when you want to differentiate.

Fixture difficulty is the dimension most users under-weight. A Pandya on a soft fixture can return 50%+ more points than the same Pandya on a tough fixture. Here is the next-5-fixtures view for each all-rounder's franchise, with the recommended pick.

MI next 5: RCB (away), SRH (home), DC (away), GT (home), RR (away). Average fixture difficulty: 7/10. Soft-to-moderate. Pandya is the recommended pick — he is in form, MI has two home games in this window, and the away games are against weaker bowling attacks (RCB's death bowling and RR's powerplay bowling).

LSG next 5: CSK (home), KKR (away), PBKS (home), SRH (away), DC (home). Average fixture difficulty: 6/10. Mixed. Stoinis is the recommended pick — he is in form, the CSK and KKR games are tough (so use him as a value pick, not captain), but PBKS and SRH are softer.

CSK next 5: GT (home), LSG (away), RR (home), MI (away), SRH (home). Average fixture difficulty: 7.5/10. Soft-to-moderate. Jadeja is the recommended pick — CSK have three home games in this window, and Jadeja's reliability is the right structure for the middle phase of the IPL 2026 schedule.

RCB next 5: SRH (away), MI (home), GT (away), LSG (home), DC (away). Average fixture difficulty: 8/10. Softest fixtures in this comparison. Maxwell is the recommended pick ONLY if you have a read on the Chinnaswamy pitch (flat / helping spinners). On a flat Chinnaswamy track, Maxwell's ceiling is at its peak — captain him in this scenario.

The week-by-week call: For the next 5 IPL match days, the recommended all-rounder load is: Match 1 — Pandya. Match 2 — Stoinis (LSG vs KKR is a tough game for Stoinis, but he is cheap enough to keep). Match 3 — Jadeja (CSK home, reliable pick). Match 4 — Pandya again. Match 5 — pick based on toss and pitch (Maxwell as differential if RCB home).

Here are three worked XI structures for IPL 2026 contests, each built around one of the four all-rounders. Pick the structure that matches your contest type and risk appetite.

XI structure A — captain-upside (around Pandya). WK: Pant (11). BAT: Rohit (11), Gill (10.5), Iyer (10). AR: Pandya (10.5, captain), Stoinis (9), Maxwell (10.5). BOWL: Bumrah (11), Rashid (11), Shami (10), Bishnoi (8.5). Total credits: 102 (slight over, trim Iyer to 9.5 or Maxwell to 10). This XI gives you 6 batting options, 4 bowling options, and the captain badge on the highest-ceiling all-rounder in the pool.

XI structure B — high-floor (around Jadeja). WK: Pant (11). BAT: Rohit (11), Gill (10.5), Iyer (10). AR: Jadeja (9.5), Stoinis (9), Hetmyer (9). BOWL: Bumrah (11), Rashid (11), Shami (10), Chahal (9). Total credits: 100. This XI gives you 6 batting options, 4 bowling options, and 3 reliable all-rounders who will all return 35-50 points. Lower ceiling than structure A, but very few flops.

XI structure C — differential (around Maxwell). WK: Pant (11). BAT: Rohit (11), de Kock (9.5), Iyer (10). AR: Maxwell (10.5, captain), Stoinis (9), Abdul Samad (8). BOWL: Bumrah (11), Rashid (11), Shami (10), Chahal (9). Total credits: 100. This XI has a 3% selection rate (vs 60%+ for structure A) — the captain pick is Maxwell, who will return 180-200 doubled points in his ceiling games and 30-50 in his median games. Higher risk, higher reward.

Season-long verdict. Across the full IPL 2026 calendar, the optimal strategy is to rotate the four all-rounders based on fixture — do not lock one player for the full season. Use this index as your starting point, then adjust weekly based on: (1) toss and pitch report, (2) the player's last 3 matches, (3) the fixture difficulty for the next 1-2 matches. Players who fall out of form (3 consecutive matches below 25 points) should be rotated out, even if their index score is high.

The one-rule takeaway. If you can only remember one thing from this index, it is this: captain-upside players (Pandya) win mega-contests, high-floor players (Jadeja) win head-to-heads, value players (Stoinis) free up budget for an extra premium, and differential players (Maxwell) win large-field GPPs when you time it right. Match the all-rounder to the contest structure, not to the player.

What this index does not cover. We did not score all-rounders who played fewer than 8 IPL 2025 matches (Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Liam Livingstone). We did not score wrist-spinners who occasionally bat (Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal). We did not score Impact Player rules — those are covered in a separate guide. We did not score overseas-only vs Indian-only contests — those are a separate meta-game.

Update cadence. We update this index every Tuesday during the IPL window (April to late May). Mid-season (around the 30-match mark), we re-run the scoring on the full IPL 2026 dataset and re-publish. Off-season, we do not update — the index is IPL-specific.