How Bench Auto-Substitution Works
On select matches, you can pick 4 bench players alongside your starting 11. If one of your starters gets dropped from the real Playing XI, your highest-priority available bench pick steps in automatically once your team is locked — no more losing a slot to zero points because a player didn't start.
🧪 Pilot feature — enabled per match, currently trialled on Asian Games Men's Cricket
Step by Step
- Build your starting 11 exactly as normal — 100cr budget, min 1 WK / 3 BAT / 1 AR / 3 BOWL, max 8 from one side.
- If the match has Bench enabled, a "Bench" section appears — pick up to 4 more players in the order you want them used (Bench 1 first).
- Your team locks at the scheduled start time, same as every match.
- Once the real Playing XI is confirmed for both sides, we check your 11 against it.
- Any starter not in the real XI is replaced by the first bench player (in priority order) who is themselves playing and keeps your XI legal — same 100cr / role-minimum / max-8 rules, re-checked on the new 11.
- If no bench player can legally fill a slot, it's left as picked — exactly like today, it just scores zero.
Captain & Vice-Captain
Your leadership picks are protected by the same mechanism, with one extra rule about who inherits the multiplier:
- Captain plays → nothing changes.
- Captain is out, Vice-Captain plays → Vice-Captain becomes Captain (2×). Whoever fills the old Captain's slot picks up the Vice-Captain tag (1.5×).
- Vice-Captain is out, Captain plays → whoever fills the Vice-Captain's slot becomes the new Vice-Captain.
- Both are out → the bench player who fills the Captain's slot becomes Captain, and the bench player who fills the Vice-Captain's slot becomes Vice-Captain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which matches have Bench Auto-Substitution?
It’s a pilot feature, switched on per match by the admins — currently being trialled on Asian Games Men’s Cricket matches. If a match doesn’t show a Bench section in the team builder, this feature isn’t enabled for it, and your team works exactly as it always has.
Do bench players cost credits?
No. The 100-credit budget and the role minimums (1 WK, 3 BAT, 1 AR, 3 BOWL) only apply to your starting 11. Bench picks don’t count against your budget when you build your team.
What order are my bench players used in?
Priority order — Bench 1 is tried first for any dropped starter, then Bench 2, 3, and 4. A bench player only comes in if they themselves are confirmed in the real Playing XI, and if bringing them in keeps your XI legal (100cr budget, role minimums, max 8 from one side). If no bench player satisfies all three, that slot is simply left as picked — same as today, it scores zero.
What happens to my Captain or Vice-Captain if they don’t play?
If your Captain is out, your Vice-Captain becomes Captain (if they’re playing). If your Vice-Captain is out, whoever bench-substitutes into their slot becomes the new Vice-Captain. If both your Captain and Vice-Captain are out, the first eligible bench player to come in becomes Captain and the next becomes Vice-Captain.
When does this actually happen?
Only after your team is locked (match start) AND the real Playing XI is fully confirmed for both sides — never before. Until both conditions are met, your team stays exactly as you built it, and you can keep editing it right up to lock like normal.
Will I be told if my team changed?
Yes — you’ll get an in-app and push notification, and My Teams will show exactly what changed: which player was swapped for which, and whether the Captain or Vice-Captain tag moved.
Build your team and check if Bench is available for your match.
Build Your Fantasy XI →