16-0 Game · Published 8 October 2026
The game's pool holds 3,132 player-season cards drawn from 158 real franchise squads, 2008 to 2026. A draft lets you combine any of them. This study asks the opposite question: if you had to keep one real squad together, how far would its best possible XI get under the same rules and the same season model?
How each squad was rated
For every franchise-season, we selected the strongest legal XI the game allows: every role filled by an eligible card, no player twice and no more than four overseas players. We built that XI in each of the seven formations, priced it with the odds model that produces the in-game season projection, and kept the formation with the highest expected league points.
"Strongest" means the highest role-weighted rating, which is what the game's squad score rewards. A keeper can therefore appear in a batting slot, exactly as in a draft. The ratings are the game's own season values, not official statistics, and the model is the game's, not a forecast of real cricket.
The twelve strongest real squads
GT 2023 sits clear at the top: 16 expected league points, playoff odds of 62.9% and title odds of 11.3%. CSK 2013 is next at 7.9%. Below the top dozen, title odds fall away quickly.
| Squad | Best formation | Expected points | Playoffs | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT 2023 | 3-1-2-5 Bowling Fortress | 16 | 62.9% | 11.3% |
| CSK 2013 | 5-1-2-3 Batting Deep | 15 | 50.0% | 7.9% |
| CSK 2018 | 4-1-2-4 Modern | 15 | 50.0% | 7.7% |
| SRH 2018 | 4-1-1-5 Pace Battery | 15 | 50.0% | 7.5% |
| KKR 2024 | 3-1-2-5 Bowling Fortress | 14 | 37.1% | 5.2% |
| GT 2026 | 3-1-2-5 Bowling Fortress | 14 | 37.1% | 5.2% |
| SRH 2017 | 4-1-2-4 Modern | 14 | 37.1% | 5.1% |
| GT 2025 | 3-1-2-5 Bowling Fortress | 14 | 37.1% | 5.1% |
| MI 2020 | 4-1-2-4 Modern | 14 | 37.1% | 4.8% |
| SRH 2020 | 3-1-2-5 Bowling Fortress | 14 | 37.1% | 4.8% |
| RCB 2026 | 4-1-2-4 Modern | 14 | 37.1% | 4.8% |
| GT 2022 | 4-1-2-4 Modern | 14 | 37.1% | 4.8% |
Why drafted sides finish so far ahead
Compare the drafted sides on the public board. On 8 October 2026, the 30 best regular runs had title odds between 26.4% and 57.6% under the same model, averaging 47.2%. The best real squad, at 11.3%, prices below every one of them.
The difference is the weakest selection rather than the stars. GT 2023's weakest pick is Alzarri Joseph at 72. Across those 30 drafted XIs, the weakest player averaged 84.9. In 87 of the 158 real squads, the best XI still contains a player rated below 65, which triggers the model's "passenger" penalty. In 37, the bowling falls below the attack threshold that caps a side's ceiling.
Even the strongest real squads rarely hold eleven strong players for eleven different roles. A draft can avoid a weak eleventh place, and in this model that is where much of a drafted side's advantage comes from.
Franchise by franchise
The median shows how often a franchise's squad was strong, not just its best year. A median of 0.1% means at least half its seasons sit at the model's floor.
| Franchise | Seasons in pool | Best squad | Best title odds | Median title odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gujarat Titans | 5 | 2023 | 11.3% | 5.1% |
| Chennai Super Kings | 17 | 2013 | 7.9% | 2.7% |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 14 | 2018 | 7.5% | 2.5% |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 19 | 2024 | 5.2% | 0.1% |
| Mumbai Indians | 19 | 2020 | 4.8% | 0.1% |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 19 | 2026 | 4.8% | 0.1% |
| Delhi Capitals | 19 | 2020 | 4.4% | 1.1% |
| Punjab Kings | 19 | 2014 | 2.6% | 0.1% |
| Rajasthan Royals | 17 | 2024 | 2.5% | 0.5% |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 5 | 2022 | 2.4% | 1.4% |
| Deccan Chargers | 5 | 2009 | 0.3% | 0.2% |
What it means for your draft
The model penalises any XI that includes a player rated below 65, and any attack below its bowling threshold. The first job of a draft is to stay clear of both; the worked comparison in our player-ratings guide shows how much a weak slot costs.
If you land on one of the strong squads above, its depth is the prize: there is usually a good player for whatever role is still open. A weak squad can still hold one great card. Check your open roles before you take the famous name.