THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADACSTING (MIB) has issued a crucial corrigendum to its June 11 notification, clarifying that free-to-air broadcast mandates apply to ALL official matches played by the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams, rather than being restricted only to World Cup matches.
The formal amendment, published in the Gazette of India on June 23, 2026, alters a line in the list of sporting events of national importance. The original English draft covered “All official One-Day, Twenty-20 and Test matches played by the Indian Men’s and Women’s Cricket World Cup Team.” This has now been corrected to read “Indian Men’s and Women’s Cricket Team.”
By striking the words “World Cup”, the government has made clear that the regulatory umbrella firmly covers all cricket matches featuring the Indian national team.
The correction carries massive financial and operational weight for major commercial broadcasters and distribution platform operators (DPOs). Because the “national importance” designation legally triggers mandatory signals-sharing with state broadcaster Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan). Any misinterpretation of the wording could have restricted or expanded obligations tied to cricket telecasts.
