The International Cricket Council (ICC) is in advanced discussions to make its first-ever investment in a startup, with Bengaluru-based gaming studio LightFury Games emerging as the prospective recipient.
According to a report by Moneycontrol, the proposed transaction would also see LightFury secure the ICC’s exclusive official gaming rights across mobile, PC and console platforms worldwide, paving the way for its upcoming title, E-Cricket, to become the governing body’s official cricket video game.
If completed, the deal would represent a landmark shift in the ICC’s commercial strategy. Traditionally focused on broadcasting, sponsorships and tournament revenues, the governing body is now looking to establish a presence in the rapidly growing global gaming industry. The proposed investment would be the ICC’s first direct backing of a startup and reflects its ambition to diversify revenue streams while expanding fan engagement through interactive digital platforms.
LightFury Games has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing game development studios. Founded by former Unacademy executive Karan Shroff, the Bengaluru-based company is developing E-Cricket, a high-end multiplayer cricket game built on Unreal Engine 5. The title aims to deliver a real-time competitive experience across mobile devices before expanding to PC and consoles, positioning itself as cricket’s equivalent of football’s EA Sports FC franchise.
The startup has attracted significant investor interest from both the technology and cricket ecosystems. Earlier this year, LightFury raised an additional $11 million in a pre-Series A funding round, taking its total capital raised to around $20 million. Its investor roster includes Indian cricket stars Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma and Sai Sudharsan, alongside institutional investors such as Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, MIXI and Times Internet. The cricketers are also expected to feature as playable characters in E-Cricket at launch.
The reported agreement follows the ICC’s earlier decision to invite bids for its official gaming rights, a process that attracted several global and Indian gaming companies, including Electronic Arts (EA Sports), Big Ant Studios, Krafton, Reliance Jio, Nazara Technologies and Dream Cricket. According to earlier reports, the governing body was seeking a long-term partner capable of building an official cricket gaming ecosystem across multiple platforms.
Securing the ICC licence would provide LightFury with access to official tournament branding and other intellectual property under the governing body’s control, significantly enhancing the commercial appeal of E-Cricket. While separate licensing arrangements may still be required for certain national teams, leagues and player image rights outside ICC events, an official partnership would provide the game with a strong global identity and marketing advantage.
The move also reflects the ICC’s broader digital transformation strategy. Cricket remains one of the world’s most-followed sports, yet it has lacked a globally dominant gaming franchise comparable to EA Sports FC or NBA 2K. By investing directly in a developer rather than merely licensing its intellectual property, the ICC appears to be pursuing a more integrated approach that could allow it to participate in the long-term commercial success of the gaming ecosystem.
