The five-stage editorial pipeline
Every figure on COME SPORTS passes through a five-stage pipeline before publication. Stage 1 is reader research — weekly scan of search console, app feedback and social DMs to surface the actual questions readers want answered. Stage 2 is outline — sections mirror the decisions a player makes before each toss, not a marketing funnel.
Editorial Methodology.
Data ingestion — three feeds, one source of truth
COME SPORTS pulls data from three public feeds. The primary feed is the official ball-by-ball commentary published by the IPL and the BCCI after every match — this is the authoritative source of truth. The secondary feed is the franchise media portals, used for squad, role and overseas-slot confirmation.
Source-first research
Every claim links to a primary source — match record, scorecard, weather feed, or named analyst note.
The form index — exponentially weighted
The COME SPORTS form index is an exponentially decaying weighted average of runs, wickets and strike rate over the last 10 matches. The most recent match is weighted 1.4× the oldest. Opposition quality and venue familiarity are factored in as multipliers on the raw form score.
Verified squad intel
Squads cross-checked across franchise feeds, league pressers and verified on app at sign-in.
The win-probability model — five input families
The COME SPORTS win-probability model is a weighted blend of five input families — recent form (32%), venue effect (24%), head-to-head (16%), toss/weather (14%) and squad news (14%). The model is trained on the last three IPL seasons and re-trained after every season.
Format-aware tables
IPL, T20I and ODI each carry their own logic — published side-by-side, never collapsed.
Editorial review and audit
Every published guide goes through an editorial review pass by a senior analyst who was not the original author. The review flags unsupported numbers, unsupported claims and any phrase that crosses from data into hype. A guide only publishes once the audit returns zero red flags.
Auditable captain logic
C/VC reasoning shows the underlying form, venue and matchup numbers — no black-box trust.
Re-verification and corrections
After publication, every figure is re-verified weekly against the live data. If a number drifts — a player goes out of form, a venue average moves after three matches on a new pitch — the page is updated and a timestamped correction note is appended. Readers can see exactly when each paragraph was last verified by hovering the small calendar icon.
Independent of operators
We do not take cuts on app contests. Read our affiliate disclosure.
What changed recently — last-reviewed timestamp
This page is part of a published editorial calendar with a documented re-verification cadence. During the IPL season (late March to late May), every figure on this page is re-verified weekly. During the off-season, every figure is re-verified monthly. The full audit trail for any published number is accessible by hovering or tapping the small calendar icon beside the sub-heading.
The most recent substantive update to this page is logged at the foot of the page in the "Editorial log" section. If a published figure drifts by more than 10 percent from the underlying data, the page is updated within 24 hours and a timestamped correction note is appended.
Audit trail
Every guide is reviewed before publish and re-audited weekly. The audit log is internal and not published.
Related guides — where to read next
Every page on COME SPORTS links to the next page in the editorial chain. The chain starts at the fantasy cricket hub and runs through the IPL-specific hub, the prediction hub, the live scoreboard, the captain guide and the bonus guide. If you want a structured walk-through of the entire site, the fantasy guides blog is the right starting point — it covers the evergreen material in reading order.
The IPL 2026 calendar page lists every match, every venue and every squad update for the current season. The winners hub logs every prediction and every pick so you can audit our calls against the actual results. The responsible play hub documents every in-app tool for deposit limits, session time-outs and self-exclusion.
More from COME SPORTS
Visit the COME SPORTS editorial library for the latest fantasy-cricket guides, picks, points tables and live scoreboards. Every guide is updated after every IPL match.
How the editorial team is structured
COME SPORTS is run by a small editorial team of senior cricket analysts, data engineers and a full-time compliance reviewer. The cricket analysts write the guides, run the model audits and produce the captain picks. The data engineers pull the ball-by-ball feed, normalise the data and maintain the form index. The compliance reviewer reads every claim against the current state-level notifications and the latest operator terms.
The team is intentionally small. A smaller team means a tighter editorial pipeline, fewer handoffs and a faster correction cycle. It also means we cannot cover every cricket event globally — we focus on the IPL, the T20 World Cup, the Asia Cup and the bilateral series involving India.
Why methodology is public
COME SPORTS publishes the methodology for every model, every index and every score. The reason is simple — a prediction that hides its inputs is marketing, not analysis. A reader who disagrees with the output should be able to disagree with the inputs and rebuild the output themselves.
The methodology page is reviewed quarterly by the compliance reviewer. Any change to the documented process is appended as a timestamped correction note at the foot of the page. Readers can see the change history and verify that the current outputs match the current methodology.
Editorial Methodology — frequently asked.
Is Editorial Methodology free to read?
Yes — every page on COME SPORTS is free to read. The companion app is free to install.
Where do I download the app?
Use the download page to get the iOS, Android or direct APK link.
Is fantasy cricket legal in my state?
Most Indian states allow paid contests. The responsible play hub lists the current eligibility map — verify on app.
Independent of any operator — our editorial stance
COME SPORTS is editorially independent. We do not operate a paid fantasy app ourselves. We do not take a commission on contests entered through any third-party operator. We do not run sponsored editorial in disguise. Where we do accept sponsorship, the post is clearly labelled and reviewed under the same pipeline as every other guide.
Our funding model is straightforward: display advertising plus a flat referral fee paid by partner operators when a reader signs up via a tracked link. The flat fee is the same regardless of whether the reader plays a single contest or every match of the season, which keeps our editorial incentives aligned with the reader's.
Known limitations — what we don't cover
The COME SPORTS methodology has three documented limitations. First, the form index has limited data on uncapped players and on players who have played fewer than 10 matches in the format. The index treats these players as average for their role, which under-weights genuine breakout potential.
Second, the win-probability model is trained on the last three IPL seasons. The model is not trained on T20 World Cup data, Asia Cup data or bilateral series data. The predictions on those formats are calibrated against the IPL training data, which is a reasonable proxy but not a perfect match. Third, the model is not updated in real time during a match — it uses pre-match inputs only.
Related guides.
How to verify any figure on this page
Every number published on COME SPORTS carries a provenance tag — the match-id, the source feed and the timestamp of the most recent verification. Hover or tap the small calendar icon beside any sub-heading to see exactly when the figure was last cross-checked against the live data feed. If you spot a number that has drifted, write to the editorial desk at [email protected] and we will reconcile within 48 hours.
For figures that depend on private data — squad pricing, KYC approval rates, withdrawal TAT — the source is documented on the methodology page. The methodology page is itself audited quarterly by the compliance reviewer, and any change to the documented process is appended as a timestamped correction note at the foot of the page.
Audit trail — how to verify any number
Every figure published on COME SPORTS carries a provenance tag. Hover or tap the small calendar icon beside any sub-heading to see the match-id, the source feed and the timestamp of the most recent verification. If you spot a number that has drifted, write to [email protected] and we will reconcile within 48 hours.
For figures that depend on private data — squad pricing, KYC approval rates, withdrawal TAT — the source is documented on this page. The methodology page is itself audited quarterly by the compliance reviewer, and any change to the documented process is appended as a timestamped correction note.
How to read the form index
The COME SPORTS form index is published for every player who has played 10+ matches in the format. For players with fewer than 10 matches, the index is replaced by a role-average baseline. The index is updated weekly during the IPL season and monthly in the off-season.
The index has five components: runs scored (weighted by opposition rank), wickets taken (weighted by opposition rank), strike rate (relative to role average), economy rate (relative to role average) and venue familiarity (number of matches at the upcoming venue). The components are combined into a single 0-100 score.
A score of 50 is role-average. A score of 70 is one standard deviation above average. A score of 30 is one standard deviation below. The score is intended to be intuitive — a player with a form index of 70 is clearly in good form, a player with a form index of 30 is clearly in poor form.
How to read the captain framework
The COME SPORTS captain pick is calculated by the model using five inputs — form, role, venue, opposition and match-up. The framework is published 30 minutes before the toss, after the playing XI is confirmed and the Impact Player list is finalised. The framework outputs a probability-weighted ranking of every player in the playing XI.
The captain pick is the player with the highest probability-weighted fantasy points after the 2× captain multiplier is applied. The vice-captain pick is the player with the second-highest probability-weighted fantasy points after the 1.5× vice-captain multiplier is applied.
The captain pick is published with a confidence score, which is the model's estimate of how likely the pick is to land in the top-decile of all users' teams. A confidence score of 0.70 means the model estimates a 70 percent chance of a top-decile finish.
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Reading checklist — what to do with this page
The most efficient way to read any COME SPORTS page is in three passes. The first pass is the headline — read the title, the eyebrow and the first paragraph to understand the editorial scope. The second pass is the structure — skim the section headers to build a mental outline of the page. The third pass is the deep read — work through each section in order, following the internal links as you go.
If you are short on time, every page has a one-paragraph executive summary at the top of the section list and a detailed FAQ at the bottom that covers the recurring reader questions. The summary is for the time-poor reader; the FAQ is for the reader who wants to interrogate the page before applying its framework.
Bias disclosure — what the model gets wrong
The COME SPORTS prediction model has three documented biases. First, the model under-weights the impact of a player returning from injury in their first two matches back — the form index has limited data on the returning player. Second, the model over-weights the most-recent match — a player who scored a hundred in the last match is rated more strongly than the underlying form index would suggest.
Third, the model's venue averages are slow to update when a ground is resurfaced or when a new drop-in pitch is introduced. The most recent venue data carries 60 percent of the weight; older venue data carries the remaining 40 percent. The methodology bias disclosure is reviewed quarterly.
How to read the win-probability model
The COME SPORTS win-probability model outputs a probability between 0 and 1 for each side. A probability of 0.5 means a coin flip. A probability of 0.6 means a 60 percent chance of winning, with the other side at 0.4. The probability is calculated from five input families — form, venue, head-to-head, toss/weather and squad news.
The model also outputs a confidence interval, which is the band within which the model expects the actual outcome to fall 80 percent of the time. A confidence interval of ±0.04 means the model expects the actual probability to fall within 4 percentage points of the output 80 percent of the time.
The model is trained on the last three IPL seasons and re-trained after every season. The training data covers 222 league matches, 12 playoff matches and 4 finals. The model is not trained on T20 World Cup, Asia Cup or bilateral series data.
How to read the venue averages
The COME SPORTS venue averages are published for every IPL venue. The averages cover the last three IPL seasons and are updated after every season. The averages include: average first-innings score, average powerplay score, average death-overs score, average wickets taken by pace bowlers, average wickets taken by spin bowlers, average chase success rate.
The venue averages are slow to update when a ground is resurfaced or when a new drop-in pitch is introduced. The most recent season carries 60 percent of the weight; the two previous seasons carry 20 percent each. If a venue has been resurfaced, the model will under-weight the most recent season's data until three matches have been played on the new surface.