Sports
T20 WC 2026 hits sixes on opening day viewership
14.7 bn minutes consumed as India win sparks 81 per cent digital surge.
MUMBAI: Cricket fever has hit fever pitch right from ball one, with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 delivering the most explosive opening day ever seen on JioStar’s digital and TV combo. Total viewing time across JioHotstar and the Star Sports network rocketed 59 per cent compared to the 2024 edition, clocking a staggering 14.7 billion minutes on day one, the biggest launch in T20 World Cup history.
As India launched their title defence with a solid win over the USA, JioHotstar alone pulled in a reach of 101.9 million viewers, soaring 81 per cent higher than the previous tournament’s opener.
The India-USA clash was the real crowd-puller: linear TV ratings jumped 41 per cent, while digital reach nearly doubled (up 98 per cent) against India’s first game of 2024 versus Ireland.
JioStar CEO of sports Ishan Chatterjee pointed to the multi-language coverage in nine tongues and the high-voltage matches as key hooks keeping fans glued from the first over.
ICC chief commercial officer Anurag Dahiya hailed the surge as proof of the powerhouse partnership with JioStar, delivering top-tier cricket that taps into India’s boundless passion for the game.
Pre-tournament buzz built nicely with campaigns like the “Champions Backing Champions” film featuring India’s victorious women’s team cheering on the men plus Rohit Sharma’s rallying cry to “Repeat History and Defeat History.”
On-screen, over 130 experts bring analysis in nine languages, while JioHotstar spices things up with Maxview (in English and Hindi on mobile) and Indian Sign Language for India matches and knockouts.
Sponsors ranging from Thums Up and OpenAI to Emirates, Sting, Mahindra, Apollo Tyres, Amul, Hyundai, Google Pixel and more are riding the wave of this massive, engaged audience.
With the tournament just getting started, the numbers suggest this edition could keep rewriting the script for cricket consumption in the digital age, one six at a time.
Sports
AM Green named title sponsor of Indian Golf Premier League
Energy transition firm backs world’s first franchise-based pro golf league.
MUMBAI: AM Green has just teed off a green partnership because when sustainability meets the fairway, even the bunkers start rooting for a cleaner future. AM Green has been announced as the marquee title sponsor of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), rebranding the tournament as the AM Green Indian Golf Premier League for the 2026 season.
The partnership aligns a leading global energy transition platform with one of India’s most ambitious sporting initiatives. AM Green, co-founded by Anil Chalamalasetty and Mahesh Kolli (also founders of Greenko), focuses on large-scale production of green hydrogen, biofuels and sustainable aviation fuel to drive industrial decarbonisation.
The IGPL features ten city franchises Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Goa, Bengaluru, Punjab and Gurugram with professional golfers mentored by legends including Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, SSP Chawrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Gaurav Ghei and Shiv Kapur. The league supports women’s and grassroots golf in collaboration with the Indian Golf Union, PGAI and WGAI, while offering a pathway to international competition through LIV Golf’s International Series.
IGPL CEO Uttam Singh Mundy said, “AM Green is precisely the kind of partner the IGPL was built for. This is an organisation that is not adjusting to the future but actively building it.”
AM Green, chairman Anil Chalamalasetty added, “Golf, with its emphasis on precision, strategy and discipline, resonates deeply with our values as an organisation.”
The IGPL 2026 Invitational Tour will continue with national and international legs including Chandigarh, Mauritius, South Africa and Congo, building on successful 2025 events in the UAE and Sri Lanka.
In a sport where every shot counts, AM Green and the IGPL are proving that going green can be both good for the planet and great for the game.
