Gaming
Rajasthan Royal & Real Cricket partner for unique cricket esports experience
Mumbai: JetSynthesys’ Nautilus Mobile, renowned for its globally popular Real Cricket series, is thrilled to announce a pioneering partnership with the Rajasthan Royals, the inaugural champions of India’s premier T20 league. This landmark collaboration marks the introduction of a new, officially licensed mobile cricket simulation game that will feature the dynamic presence of Rajasthan Royals players and iconic team branding.
From 25 August, Real Cricket fans can get the chance to play with the Rajasthan Royals cricketers in an exclusive mobile game. The game will have star players from the team including their mercurial captain Sanju Samson, T20 World Cup-winning captain Jos Buttler, spin magicians Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, ace pacer Trent Boult, young Indian stars Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel along with their other teammates, making the game as realistic as it will be entertaining to all cricket fans around the world. This partnership will include the official logos of the team, the iconic pink and blue team kits, and the players’ images, which will aim to indulge cricket aficionados playing the game with a realistic look and feel.
“Partnering with the Rajasthan Royals marks a significant milestone in Real Cricket’s journey and our broader ambitions for the Indian esports industry,” said JetSynthesys founder and CEO Rajan Navani. “This collaboration with one of T20’s most iconic teams is a game-changer for our player community, strengthening our vision of making Real Cricket India’s esport export. It’s a testament to our commitment to innovation and our passion for cricket, and we’re excited to see how it will shape the future of mobile gaming.”
JetSynthesys’ Nautilus Mobile founder & CEO Anuj Mankar added, “We are thrilled to introduce Rajasthan Royals into the Real Cricket world. The aim was always to provide the most realistic cricket simulation experience and by associating with one of the premium teams of the leagues, we are setting the benchmark in mobile cricket gaming ahead of all others. This is not just going to add to the charm of the game but will also give the fans a chance to play with some of the most popular players from the Rajasthan Royals team.”
Rajasthan Royals chief business officer Alok Chitre commented on the team’s latest approach into e-gaming, “At the Royals, we believe that our fans are the team’s heartbeat and we are always looking at elevating the experience for our loyal fans across the globe, bringing them closer to their team in every way possible. Real Cricket presents an opportunity for our fans to connect with their favorite team in an exciting, new way, we are thrilled to collaborate with Nautilus Mobile to deliver this engaging experience.”
Since its launch in 2014, the Real Cricket series has been a phenomenon, garnering over 350 million downloads, over one million active daily downloads worldwide, and 6.8 million monthly active users. This allows the gamer to play basic matches, tournaments, and even career modes, which makes the game a complete and interesting package for cricket enthusiasts worldwide.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
