Sony bags India A tri-series rights as teenage sensation Sooryavanshi set to dazzle

MUMBAI: Cricket’s next generation is coming, and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) intends to make sure nobody misses a ball. The broadcaster has secured exclusive television and digital rights to the India A Tri-Nation Series, a seven-match one-day tournament pitting India A against Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A across Sri Lanka from June 9 to 21.

The deal gives SPN sole rights to televise and livestream the matches in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, a footprint that stretches well beyond the subcontinent’s usual cricket heartlands.

The biggest draw will be 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has earned his maiden India A ODI call-up after a breakout season that left selectors with little choice. The teenager will rub shoulders with Priyansh Arya, Ayush Badoni and Suryansh Shedge, a cohort of strokemakers who lit up the recent T20 league and now face the sterner examination of 50-over cricket.

Tilak Varma leads the side, with Ruturaj Gaikwad as vice-captain, a pairing that blends flair with hard-nosed experience. The squad also features Nishant Sindhu, wicketkeepers Prabhsimran Singh and Kumar Kushagra, Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan and Anukul Roy.

The tournament follows a double round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the final on June 21. Seven matches, three hungry nations, one prize.

Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer for distribution and international business and head of sports business at SPN, was blunt about the appeal: “The biggest draw for viewers will be to watch the biggest sensation in Indian cricket, teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose explosive talent is making him one of the most talked-about players today.”

Coverage begins at 10am IST across five languages, English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, on Sony Sports Network channels and Sony LIV.

Match schedule

For SPN, the deal is part of a broader push to dominate India’s cricket-rights landscape at every level, from international Tests down to development squads. For fans, it is a chance to clock whether the next Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli is already pulling on the India A shirt. If Sooryavanshi is anything to go by, the queue of contenders is getting very long, very fast.