Sustaining cricket’s core while preparing for global growth
The International Cricket Council is entering a phase where tradition and transformation must move together. This direction was outlined in a strategic address delivered by ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta to board members on Friday. The presentation, accessed by Cricbuzz, positioned cricket’s long-term sustainability around maintaining the sport’s competitive spirit while expanding into new spaces and deepening fan engagement worldwide.
Gupta underscored that the essence of cricket must remain central even as the game adapts to evolving cultural and commercial landscapes. “At the core of a sporting event’s success is the ‘athletic spectacle’ that it offers – we must continually strive for enhanced context, competition and competitiveness in our events. Our events must be significant cultural experiences – immersive and inclusive – leaving a lasting impact. They need to also be seen as tournaments of prestige for our players, always alluring top players to participate.”
He added that building deeper year-round engagement is essential to strengthening cricket’s presence across global markets. “We need to elevate the stature of our events, sustain fandom with always-on experiences and build affiliated communities & engaged sub-groups. Our ability to generate more value for the ICC membership is linked directly to the depth and breadth of engagement that our product portfolio can deliver and our ability to commercialise engagements across multiple consumer touchpoints.”
Reviewing formats and refining fan experience
A key component of the roadmap involves re-examining competition formats to ensure they are relevant and engaging for both established and emerging audiences. Gupta explained, “It requires re-visiting existing competition formats and exploring new structures, to deliver enhanced value to our existing fans and recruit new ones. We need to collectively push for the elevation of our events because the ripple effects created by a successful event run far beyond the geographic boundaries of the host venues and the participating nations.”
He also acknowledged that fan expectations are changing rapidly, shaped by broader shifts in entertainment and consumer behavior. “The experiential and engagement economies are booming with most consumer segments increasing spends on ‘unmissable moments’ and ‘immersive experiences’. While on-field athleticism is essential to the delivery of an elevated experience, the entertainment and lifestyle components can’t be ignored. Similarly, while the live broadcast of our events will continue to be the driver of fan engagement.”
Strengthening cricket’s commercial and technological framework
Gupta called for a refreshed economic approach to support cricket’s expansion and long-term sustainability. “Cricket must strive to diversify, broaden and deepen its economic model. This requires a re-look at how the sport is currently commercialized and how the prevailing economic models need to be bolstered, refreshed or rebuilt. This will have a significant bearing on the models of partnership with our distribution and commercial stakeholders.”
He noted that the sport may also need new collaborators. “It could also mean the introduction of a different profile and segment of partners for international Cricket.”
The use of technology, he added, is no longer supplementary but foundational to the sport’s future. “Technology will play a pivotal role in the growth of the game. From fan engagement to operations, from data analytics to immersive experiences – adoption and deployment of technology need to become part of Cricket’s DNA. Cricket must be seen as a sport at the forefront of innovation.”
Olympic return and expanding the sport’s global footprint
Cricket’s return to the Olympics for the first time in 128 years is seen as a transformational moment. “Cricket’s inclusion in LA28 (Olympic Games) marks one of the sport’s most transformative opportunities, potentially gaining access to millions of new fans. The ICC teams have been in constant dialogue with the IOC and LA28 for the successful delivery of the event in 2028. We have also recently begun meaningful discussions with Brisbane 2032 for Cricket’s inclusion in their program.”
The benefits extend beyond visibility. “The inclusion also promises significant access to government funding allowing deeper investments in the game. Additionally, the inclusion of Cricket in regional multi-sport competitions such as the Asian, Pan-American and African Games, will provide further prominence to the sport in regions with limited affiliation to the sport. This will bolster high-performance and grassroot-level programs in several nations. The ICC teams continue to engage with sports federations/governing bodies/governments to push for Cricket’s inclusion in more regional and sub-regional games.”
A future guided by evolving fan culture
Gupta concluded by framing cricket’s evolution as part of a broader cultural shift. “We live in a world where transformation is a constant, with paradigm shifts in consumption and culture underway. Sport as a microcosm of the world, is also being transformed, at times by design and at times, by disruption. At the center of this rapid evolution happens to be the fan, described in his/her distinct but overlapping expressions of fandom – as a consumer, a viewer, a participant and now even a creator. Today’s fan is more unique, less attentive, highly connected and increasingly demanding, but still seeking a sense of identity, belonging and community, perhaps even increasingly so in a world more polarized and diverse than ever before.”
He emphasized the duty of global cricket leadership to respond with vision. “As custodians of the world’s second largest sport – with 2+ billion fans across 100+ countries – the onus is on us to steer these transformational forces into becoming forces of growth for the global game. We must look upon them as sizeable opportunities instead of allowing them to become limiting challenges. We must be willing to critique our legacy with an aim to strengthen our future. We must strive to be more creative, collaborative and courageous – the same values our athletes regularly demonstrate on field.”
Cricket’s next chapter, as outlined, will rely on strategic renewal — strengthening what makes the game distinctive while embracing the cultural and technological currents shaping the global sporting landscape.
