What the T20 League Mode Is

The Indian Pro T20 League in Cricket All Stars is an offline mode where you play as one of the available IPL franchises through a full T20 tournament season. You play against AI-controlled teams, work through the group stage, and reach the knockout rounds. It is the closest thing the game currently has to a persistent campaign mode.

The mode runs entirely offline. You do not need a data connection to play matches once the game is installed, which makes it the best mode for commuting or travelling. It is also the primary source of in-game currency rewards and performance milestones.

Currently, in early access, the two available IPL teams are Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants. If you are deciding between them, read our KKR vs LSG team guide first. More franchises are expected post-early access.

Choosing Your Starting Difficulty

The T20 League has five difficulty settings: Amateur, Semi-Pro, Professional, World Champion, and Legendary. The difficulty you choose affects:

  • How accurately the AI times deliveries when batting
  • How varied and precise the AI's bowling is against you
  • The run rates the AI targets when chasing
  • The field settings the AI uses when bowling to you

The difficulty does not significantly affect currency rewards in the current early access version. Winning at Semi-Pro gives you similar progression rewards to winning at Professional. The incentive to raise difficulty is the gameplay experience, not the reward rate.

Start at Semi-Pro. Amateur makes the AI so passive that a 200-run total is achievable without any shot selection discipline. That teaches you nothing. Semi-Pro gives you competitive matches from day one without the frustration of a single mistimed drive collapsing an innings, which Professional delivers regularly.

Move to Professional when you are finishing group stage matches with 20+ run margins at Semi-Pro. Move to World Champion when Professional matches feel predictable rather than challenging.

Group Stage Strategy

The group stage determines which teams reach the knockout rounds. Your goal is top-two in the group, which guarantees you a knockout berth. Here is how to manage the group stage:

Prioritise Net Run Rate Early

Net run rate (the difference between your runs-per-over and opponents' runs-per-over across the group stage) is the tiebreaker. If two teams finish with the same number of wins, NRR decides who qualifies. In the early matches when the AI is still on the default difficulty adaptation, score quickly when batting and dismiss the AI cheaply when bowling. A 160 vs 140 win is less valuable than a 180 vs 120 win if you end up level on points.

Do Not Over-Rotate Your Bowlers

The T20 League gives you a squad with limited over allocations per bowler. Use your best death bowler in overs 18-20 every time. Do not burn their overs in the powerplay unless you are chasing aggressively. The powerplay overs are manageable with medium-pace bowlers. The death overs require your best option.

Manage Difficult Matchups

Some AI teams in the league have stronger batting orders that target specific delivery lines. Before your toughest group stage matches, play a Quick Match against the same team to learn their tendencies. Quick Match lets you test line and length choices without the group stage consequence. This is not cheating — it is the same preparation any Test cricketer does before a new opponent.

Batting Strategy for T20 Format

T20 League innings are 20 overs. The scoring pressure is different from Test Match or Quick Match. Here is how to structure an innings:

Overs 1-6 — Powerplay

The field restrictions in the powerplay mean only two fielders can be outside the 30-yard circle. This is your boundary-scoring window. Target full deliveries through the off side and straight. Do not be reckless, but do not be passive either. A 45-55 run powerplay total at four wickets in hand is a good platform.

Overs 7-15 — Build the Foundation

This is where T20 innings often go wrong. Players try to hit sixes in every over and lose wickets. The AI fields deepen and boundaries are harder to come by. Focus on rotating strike, taking ones and twos, and waiting for the loose delivery. Score 7-9 runs per over through this phase and you are on track for 160-170.

Overs 16-20 — The Final Push

With wickets in hand and a foundation built, the last five overs are where the total inflates. The AI field is back, boundaries are available on both sides, and the bowling is often the lower-quality options (since the AI's best bowlers used their allocation). This is the phase to go for big shots. Hit over mid-on and mid-off. Target the boundaries on the leg side. A 50-run final five overs is achievable from a 120 base.

Chasing Targets — T20 Math

When chasing in the T20 League, keep your required run rate in front of you at all times. The game does not always make this prominent. Here is the math:

  • Required rate of 8 or below at the 10-over mark: comfortable. Play normally.
  • Required rate of 9-10 at 10 overs: under pressure. Start targeting boundaries more aggressively.
  • Required rate of 11+ at 10 overs: critical. You need a boundary every other over and a six every three overs. The approach changes entirely — go big from ball one of your next over and accept the wicket risk.

Do not lose track of run rate in the middle overs. It is easy to play "safe cricket" through overs 7-12 and wake up needing 15 an over at over 15. That chase is almost never successful against Professional AI or above.

Knockout Round Approach

The knockout format in Cricket All Stars' T20 League is single elimination from the semifinal. One match, lose and you are out. The tactical approach changes slightly:

  • Win the toss if you can, and bat first. Knowing the target is easier than chasing an unknown in a knockout.
  • Bowl your best bowlers at overs 1-3 and 18-20. Do not save your best bowler for a "perfect moment" — use them when the scoring pressure is highest.
  • In the final, the AI is at its most aggressive when chasing. Give it a target over 165. Below that, the AI chases comfortably at Professional difficulty.

Earning Currency Through the Season

The T20 League is your main source of in-game currency. Here is how to maximise what you earn per session:

  • Complete performance milestones — hitting 50 in a match, taking three wickets in an innings, winning by 30+ runs. These give bonus currency on top of match rewards.
  • Do not skip daily challenges if they align with your league matches. A daily challenge asking for "hit two sixes in a T20 match" gives double the value when you complete it during a league game.
  • Winning the T20 League gives a significant one-time currency reward. The replay value comes from raising difficulty after winning, which resets the season with harder AI but the same reward structure.

For everything else on how the game plays and what the controls feel like, our full gameplay tips page and our review cover the ground-level mechanics this guide assumes you already understand.