Sports
Canada Super 60 returns for Season 2 at Vancouver’s BC Place
Yuvraj Singh eyes global spotlight as league builds cricket’s North America push
VANCOUVER: The Canada Super 60 League is gearing up for its second season, with matches scheduled to be played from September 29 to October 4, 2026 at BC Place Stadium, as the tournament looks to build on a promising debut.
After a first season that drew attention from across the cricketing world, organisers are aiming to position the league as a regular fixture on the global calendar. Backed by growing fan interest and international participation, the short-format competition is steadily carving out its niche in North America.
League partner Yuvraj Singh struck an optimistic note about the road ahead. “After the success of last year’s inaugural season, I am truly delighted to share that Canada Super 60 is returning for Season 2,” he said. He added that the response from fans and players had been “incredibly encouraging,” and the focus now is to establish the tournament as a marquee global event.
Singh also highlighted the league’s role beyond entertainment, noting that it offers young players in Canada an opportunity to compete alongside top international talent. He described the experience of playing at BC Place as “very special”, pointing to the venue’s unique indoor setting and lively atmosphere.
The event has also drawn strong institutional backing. “We’re delighted to welcome the Canada Super 60 League and cricket fans back to BC Place,” said Government of British Columbia minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport Anne Kang, emphasising the role such events play in showcasing the region and boosting sports tourism.
Echoing this sentiment, Cricket Canada president Amjad Bajwa said the league represents a significant step forward for cricket’s growth in the region. “This league is not only about world-class competition, but also about creating pathways and opportunities for Canadian players,” he said.
At the venue level too, enthusiasm is high. “Welcoming Canada Super 60 cricket back to BC Place is incredibly meaningful to us,” said BC Place general manager Chris May, noting the stadium’s growing association with cricket and its diverse fan base.
The tournament returns in a landmark year for the venue, which is also set to host matches during the FIFA World Cup 2026, further cementing its status as a multi-sport hub.
On the field, defending men’s champions Brampton Blitz will be back to defend their title, while the Toronto Sixers will look to build on their strong showing in the women’s competition.
With momentum on its side and ambitions firmly set, the Canada Super 60 League is shaping up for a second season that could well move it from promising newcomer to a serious player on cricket’s global stage.
Sports
JioHotstar launches commerce ad tool with Instamart to convert IPL viewers into buyers
The platform launches intent-driven advertising with Instamart, aiming to turn cricket fans into customers
MUMBAI: Streaming ads are about to get a lot more pointed. JioHotstar has launched what it calls a signal-led commerce advertising capability, a system that uses real purchase intent data to help brands find consumers who are already primed to buy, not just browse. Instamart, Swiggy’s quick-commerce arm, becomes the first partner to use the offering, which goes live during the Indian Premier League cricket season when JioHotstar’s audiences are at their largest and most engaged.
The pitch to advertisers is precision over volume. Rather than serving ads based on broad demographic slices, the new capability lets brands tap aggregated, privacy-safe insights drawn from actual purchase behaviour to identify and reach high-intent audience cohorts across JioHotstar’s premium content. Crucially, it also closes the loop: consumers can move directly from content to product exploration through integrated call-to-action formats, without leaving the viewing experience. Advertisers, in turn, get down-funnel reporting across key metrics, giving them a clearer read on what their campaigns actually did.
Anup Govindan, head of sports sales at JioStar, said the offering goes beyond watching to predicting what consumers are likely to do next. “We are enabling brands to engage audiences not just when they are watching, but when they are most receptive,” he said. “During marquee events like the TATA IPL, brands can reach the right audience at the right moment, making engagement more meaningful, measurable, and outcome-driven.”
Himavant Kurnala, senior vice-president of product at Instamart, said the partnership closes the gap between inspiration and purchase. “By aligning premium entertainment with the convenience of quick commerce, we are not just placing ads; we are creating a more relevant and frictionless shopping experience for millions of Indian households,” he said.
The launch adds to a growing suite of precision tools on JioHotstar, which already offers self-serve ads and a Shop The Look feature. With 450 million monthly average users and a library of more than 300,000 hours of programming across 19 languages, the platform has no shortage of eyeballs. The question it is now answering is whether it can turn those eyeballs into wallets.
For brands, the timing is no accident. Cricket season on JioHotstar is the closest thing Indian advertising has to the Super Bowl, a moment of mass attention that the platform is now determined to monetise with considerably more finesse than a banner ad ever could.
