How to Play Howzat: From Match Pick to Payout

Howzat is squad-building, not score-guessing: you pick real players from one fixture, their live performance converts to points, and the contest table ranks every entry. This walkthrough covers the loop a new player repeats every match day — pick, build, join, follow, review.

Step 1 — Pick a Match and a Contest

Start from an upcoming fixture rather than a live one, so the full player list is still open. Contests differ by entry and payout shape: practice rooms are free, head-to-head pits you against one opponent, and large rooms pay deeper but rank thousands of teams. One small-entry contest is enough to learn the scoring rhythm.

Step 2 — Build Your 11 Inside the Credit Cap

• Budget: every player costs credits from a fixed cap, so a team of only star names will not fit — value picks decide the margin.
• Roles: the lineup must respect role slots (wicket-keeper, batters, all-rounders, bowlers) within the app's min-max per role.
• Team split: there is a per-side limit, so you cannot load all 11 from one team.

Step 3 — Captain and Vice-Captain

The captain multiplies points at the highest rate and the vice-captain at the second rate, so these two picks swing a contest more than any other slot. Toss time matters: a captain who ends up benched scores nothing, which is why editing your team after lineups are announced — allowed until the deadline — is the single most effective habit in the game.

Step 4 — Follow the Live Points

Once play begins, your lineup locks and the points tab updates with every ball: runs, wickets, catches and economy all feed the total, and the contest table re-ranks continuously. Nothing you do mid-match changes the team — the review that matters happens after the result.

Step 5 — Review and Repeat

After settlement, compare your picks against the top entry in the room: was the gap in captaincy, in a differential pick, or in reading the pitch? That one-minute review compounds faster than any paid entry. Scoring weights and role rules live inside the app's point-system pages — read them once, they rarely change.

Before You Join a Paid Contest

• Fantasy involves financial risk; free practice rooms exist precisely to learn without it.
• State eligibility rules for cash contests apply inside the app — check them before depositing.
• Set a per-match entry limit for yourself and keep to it regardless of results.

New here? Get the app first via the Howzat download guide, or go back to the main Howzat overview for features and alternatives.