MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Other Indian Cricket Stars Back LightFury Games’ eCricket

LightFury Games (LFG), an Indian AAA-focused game-tech studio is developing upcoming game title ‘eCricket’. The publisher has brought on board some of the biggest names in world cricket as strategic investors. MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya along with Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma and Sai Sudharsan have joined the company’s latest round. It backs LightFury’s ambition to build a globally competitive cricket gaming franchise from India.

Indian Cricket Stars Joins LightFury Games’ eCricket as investors

At the centre of this first-time ever development in the cricketing world, LightFury’s eCricket is slated for release in 2026 on mobile. Cricket today commands a global audience estimated to be over 2.5 billion, yet the category still lacks a definitive, premium, globally relevant cricket gaming franchise. LightFury is building eCricket to address that gap through a technically advanced, competitive and live-service-driven experience developed out of India.

Built on Unreal Engine 5 and designed for mobile-first play, the game is being developed as a premium, competitive cricket experience that aims to capture the depth, pressure, rhythm, and decision-making that define the sport. From tactical batting and bowling systems to physics-led gameplay, dynamic AI commentary and broadcast-style presentation, eCricket is being built to reflect the scale and intensity of modern cricket for a global gaming audience.

Alongside this strategic backing from leading cricketers, LightFury Games has also raised fresh capital of US$11 million. The 100-member studio spans deep creative talent and advanced technical capability to build premium, globally competitive games. Its backers include Blume, V3 Ventures, MIXI, Times Internet and strategic investments from top members of the Indian cricket team.

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On what stood out to him about eCricket, MS Dhoni said, “I’ve seen a lot of cricket games over the years, and there’s always been something missing. When Lightfury showed me what they were working on, I felt they were trying to close that gap. It’s a big undertaking, building something like this out of India for a global audience. I’m here to contribute what I can from my time in the game, and make sure the details hold up. The rest is up to them, and from what I’ve seen, they’ll do a good job.”

Speaking about the challenge of capturing the depth of cricket in a game, Jasprit Bumrah who is exclusively managed by RISE Worldwide, added, “Cricket is a game of fine margins. A change of pace, a shift in angle, one good decision under pressure can change everything. That depth is not easy to bring into a game. eCricket is taking that challenge seriously, and I’m glad to support a team trying to raise the standard.”

Sharing his perspective on cricket’s scale and fan energy, Hardik Pandya said, “Cricket is pressure, skill, and entertainment all at once. Fans want to feel that energy. What excites me about eCricket is that it is not trying to make cricket smaller for gaming. It is trying to make gaming rise to the scale of cricket. That is a bold idea, and I was very excited when the LightFury team approached me to be a part of the game.”

The involvement of leading cricketers marks a strong endorsement of that vision. For LightFury, this brings together people who understand cricket at the highest level and who see the potential for the sport to be represented with far greater ambition in interactive entertainment.

“India has long been one of the world’s biggest gaming markets. Yet it has not been able to build a truly world-class AAA sports title. With eCricket, we want to change that. We are building from India for the world, with a very high bar on quality, deep competitive gameplay, and true-to-sport authenticity. This partnership ensures that we deliver on that vision and bring eCricket to fans soon in 2026. For us, this is much bigger than a game launch. It is about proving that India can build premium gaming IPs for the world, and not just play it.” says Karan Shroff, Co-Founder & CEO, LightFury Games

“We’ve backed LightFury from inception, in their mission to pioneer a new generation of Indian gaming studios, building IPs with global ambition. Building a AAA game is neither easy nor quick – it takes sustained creative excellence, deep technical expertise, and long-term discipline. In LightFury, we’ve seen a team come together from different parts of the world, with a shared passion and incredible attention to detail, depth and creativity. Supercharged by natively built AI tools, we are excited for the world to experience eCricket very soon. We would like it to be the Dhurandhar of Indian gaming history,” said Karthik Reddy, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Blume Ventures.

Arjun Vaidya, Managing Partner of V3 Ventures, added, “I’m a die-hard cricket fan, and today it is one of the biggest sports in the world. Yet it still does not have a definitive game in the way football, basketball or American football do. That is the gap. What gives us confidence is not just the size of the market, but the quality of gameplay, overall experience and player associations that LightFury has been building behind the scenes with real intent. Cricket is a uniquely complex sport, and its place at the intersection of culture, community and technology for nearly a quarter of the world’s population makes the opportunity around eCricket even more exciting. We’re excited to back LightFury as they work to build an impactful, category-defining global title and give our favourite sport the game it deserves.”

Earlier this year, LightFury Games also announced that it had secured the global player roster licence for more than 600 professional cricketers, featuring stars such as Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson, Pat Cummins, Jos Buttler, Travis Head and Andre Russell. One of the largest rosters assembled in cricket gaming, it further strengthens the company’s ambition to build a title with scale, authenticity and global appeal.

Gaming