How cricket could become the IOC's gateway to India. 27 Jul 2026 02:05PM (Updated: 27 Jul 2026 03:29PM) Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. July 27: When cricket returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, it will bring far more than bats, balls and wickets. Its inclusion reflects a strategic calculation by Olympic leaders that the surest route to billions of new viewers runs through India, cricket's commercial heartland and a country they believe is increasingly central to the Games' future. Cricket, absent from the Olympics since 1900, offers the International Olympic Committee something no recent addition has: direct access to a fan base of more than 2 billion people and, crucially, the commercial power of the Indian market. As the Games seek a younger and broader audience, it may prove the most valuable sport added to the Olympic programme in decades. Cricket has been one of the major global sports not to feature in the Olympics, IOC Sports Director Pierre Ducrey told Reuters in an interview. "It is very strong in markets where maybe you could say the Olympic Games today may not have penetrated as much as they have in other markets," he said. "Cricket will bring to the LA Games audiences that may not necessarily tune in regularly to watch the Olympic Games," Ducrey added. "It's a win-win compromise where we'll give them more opportunities, and they will definitely strengthen our appeal in markets that are very strongly interested in cricket and sometimes mostly in cricket." INTEREST IN BROADCASTING RIGHTS The sport's imminent return to the Olympics has already generated demand, with the IOC confirming "strong interest" in broadcasting rights for the Indian subcontinent for the 2028 Games. That would amount to "a multiple" of the value of the 2024 Games contract, IOC Television and Marketing Services Managing Director Anne-Sophie Voumard told Indian media late last year. The Paris 2024 contract was estimated to be worth around $30 million. "Regarding media rights for the LA28 Olympic Games in the Indian subcontinent, we are currently engaged in constructive discussions with a number of key players across the region," an IOC spokesperson told Reuters. "We can confirm that there has been strong interest from the market, reflecting both the momentum behind the LA28 Olympic Games and the addition of cricket to the sports programme." There are already close relationships between the Olympics and cricket in the region's media market. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Indian broadcaster JioStar, formed from the Reliance Industries and Walt Disney merger of their Indian media assets in 2024, owned the rights for the Paris 2024 Games and the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, and also holds the rights to broadcast the Indian Premier League, the country's top cricket league. Ambani's wife Nita is an IOC member and hosted the 2023 IOC session in Mumbai. Cricket returned to the Olympic conversation after the IOC recognised the International Cricket Council in 2010, but the sport's traditional five-day Tests and eight-hour one-day internationals remained impractical for the Games. The breakthrough came with the explosive rise of Twenty20, a three-hour format whose popularity coincided with IOC reforms in 2014 allowing host cities to propose additional sports, paving the way for Los Angeles to bring cricket back in 2028. Beyond its brevity, the high volatility and international reach of T20 made it tailor-made for the Olympics, said ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta, who was previously the CEO of sports and live experiences at JioStar. "The jeopardy or the unpredictability that live sports benefit from is maximised in this format," Gupta told Reuters. Unlike Test matches, which are restricted to the ICC's 12 full members, T20 can claim to be cricket's true global format. "Avenues of participation have been expanded significantly to really position this format as cricket's handshake with the world," Gupta said. "It's global, more accessible and representative. T20 ticks all the right boxes." LONG PROCESS LA28 will mark the end of a 21-year journey that started with cricket's provisional recognition by the IOC back in 2007. "The interests of some of the federations, the interests of the Olympic movement at large, sometimes converge, sometimes they don't," Ducrey said. "And it took some time for the interests of the International Cricket Council, of the sport of cricket at large, and those of the Olympic movement to align in a more significant way that led to the discussions around the 2028 program." "So a long journey, but I would say one that was consistently getting our movements and our sports, and our interests closer and closer." Cricket's commercial rise has been fuelled by the Indian Premier League, which has transformed the sport over the past two decades, attracting the world's leading players and becoming one of the most valuable sports competitions globally. The 10-team IPL is now valued at around $20 billion, with the 2026 season drawing 1.2 billion viewers across platforms. OLYMPIC FUTURE Cricket is expected to remain in the Games beyond 2028. The 2032 Games will be held in Brisbane, Australia - another country with a strong cricketing tradition - and India is heavily pushing Ahmedabad to host the Games in 2036. Beyond geographic expansion, cricket offers a highly coveted demographic. According to ICC chief executive Gupta, nearly 50 per cent of followers are under 35 and 35 per cent are under 27, making cricket "future-ready". By including cricket, the Olympic movement is poised to reap a significant "demographic dividend", said Gupta. "As the Olympic movement looks to the future of its own significance and relevance of sport in various markets, cricket can potentially play a huge role in driving that forward," he said. "Cricket is the fastest growing large-scale team sport in the world. It's a massive opportunity for the Olympic movement to ride on."

JioStar acquires exclusive broadcast rights for The Hundred 2026 in India. JioStar acquires the exclusive linear and digital broadcast rights for The Hundred 2026 in India, with all 68 matches streaming on JioHotstar and airing on Star Sports Network. JioStar has acquired the exclusive linear and digital broadcast rights for the Men's and Women's competitions of The Hundred 2026 in India from Sony Pictures Networks India. The tournament has been made available exclusively on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network. The sixth edition of the tournament has begun on July 21 with a double-header at The Oval, while the finals have been scheduled for August 16 at Lord's. As per the announcement, all 68 matches across the Men's and Women's competitions have been made available live for viewers in India. The Men's competition has featured international cricketers including Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Rashid Khan, Heinrich Klaasen, Phil Salt, Tim David, David Miller and Harry Brook. MI London has entered the tournament as the defending Men's champion after winning the previous three editions. The Women's competition has included several Indian players across franchises. Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh have represented Manchester Super Giants, Deepti Sharma has played for SunRisers Leeds, while Jemimah Rodrigues has featured for Southern Brave. Other Indian players in the tournament have included Kiran Navgire (London Spirit), Shweta Sehrawat (MI London), Asha Sobhana (Trent Rockets) and Nandani Sharma (Welsh Fire). Prashant Khanna, Head of Rights & Innovation for Sports, JioStar, said, "The Hundred has established itself as one of the most innovative cricket competitions in the world, bringing together world-class talent in a format designed to entertain and attract new audiences. We are delighted to bring the tournament exclusively to fans in India across JioHotstar and Star Sports. With both the men's and women's competitions featuring some of the biggest international stars alongside leading Indian players, we look forward to further grow The Hundred's following in one of the world's most passionate cricket markets."

JioStar acquires exclusive India rights for The Hundred 2026. ET Online Last Updated: Jul 21, 2026, 05:54:00 PM IST JioStar secured exclusive broadcast rights for The Hundred 2026 cricket tournament. All 68 men's and women's matches will stream on JioHotstar and air on Star Sports. This acquisition strengthens JioStar's growing international cricket portfolio in India. Several Indian women's team players will feature for various franchises this season. The tournament, known for its innovative format, begins July 21. JioStar has acquired the exclusive television and digital rights to broadcast The Hundred 2026 in India, adding another international cricket property to its sports portfolio amid intense competition for premium media rights. The broadcaster said on Tuesday it had acquired the rights for both the men's and women's competitions from Sony Pictures Networks India, the tournament's official rights holder in India. All 68 matches will be streamed on JioHotstar and broadcast on the Star Sports Network. You May Like JioStar, the joint venture between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney, has been expanding its sports portfolio across television and digital platforms, with the latest acquisition adding another international cricket property to its lineup. The sixth edition of the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) 100-ball tournament gets underway on July 21 with a double-header at The Oval and concludes with the finals at Lord's on August 16. The acquisition adds to the race among Indian broadcasters and streaming platforms to secure exclusive sports rights, with live events continuing to drive audience engagement and subscription growth. Besides the IPL, companies have invested heavily in rights to ICC tournaments, FIFA competitions, Formula One and major European football leagues to strengthen their offerings. The Hundred, launched by the ECB in 2021, was conceived as a shorter, faster format of cricket aimed at attracting younger and more diverse audiences. The competition features eight city-based franchises and has steadily grown into a platform showcasing some of the biggest names in international men's and women's cricket. This season also marks a new phase for the tournament following changes in franchise ownership. Oval Invincibles have been rebranded as MI London, Northern Superchargers as SunRisers Leeds, while Manchester Originals will now compete as Manchester Super Giants. The men's competition will feature players including Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Rashid Khan, Heinrich Klaasen, Phil Salt, Tim David, David Miller and Harry Brook. MI London enters the tournament as the three-time defending champions. The women's competition is expected to draw significant interest among Indian viewers with several national team players featuring across franchises. Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh will represent Manchester Super Giants, Deepti Sharma will play for SunRisers Leeds, while Jemimah Rodrigues will turn out for Southern Brave. Other Indian players in the tournament include Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Asha Sobhana and Nandani Sharma. Prashant Khanna, Head of Rights & Innovation for Sports at JioStar, said The Hundred had established itself as one of the world's most innovative cricket competitions and that the presence of leading international stars alongside Indian players would help grow the tournament's following in the country. Read More News on