Ranking Eligibility
Summary
Eligibility rules decide who may appear on a ranked list. A leaderboard is only trustworthy if everyone on it cleared the same bar: the same season scope, the same format, and the same sample-size floor.
Why This Matters
Two batters with identical strike rates are not comparable if one faced 30 balls and the other faced 400. Eligibility rules make rankings apples-to-apples.
The Rules
- Single scope. A ranking covers one league, one season, and one format. Do not mix IPL 2026 with IPL historical, or T20 with ODI, on the same list.
- Sample-size floor. Every ranked player must clear the floor for that metric — see Sample-Size Floors.
- Phase consistency. Phase rankings (powerplay, death) require the phase floor, not just the season floor.
- Counting vs rate. Counting leaderboards (most runs, most wickets) rank on totals and have no floor. Rate leaderboards (best SR, best economy) require the floor.
- Ties. Disclose the tiebreaker used (e.g. fewer balls for batting SR, more wickets for economy) rather than presenting an arbitrary order.
Edge Cases
- A player who is injured mid-season still ranks on totals but may fall below a rate floor.
- New or young players (small samples) are frequently floor-ineligible for rate metrics even when their raw numbers look spectacular — this is by design.
Agent Guidance
- State the scope and floor whenever you present a "best/worst" or "top N" claim.
- If asked to rank players who do not share a scope, decline and explain why.
- Prefer citing the canonical season leaderboard page over reconstructing a ranking.