Rohit Sharma has joined LightFury Video games as an investor and can characteristic as a licensed participant in its upcoming cellular sport, eCricket
Sharma is the eighth marquee cricketer to again the gaming startup because it prepares to launch its debut AAA title for a world viewers
eCricket’s phased closed beta will start in September, with greater than 3 Lakh sign-ups and over 700 licensed cricketers on its roster
Former India captain Rohit Sharma has joined gaming studio LightFury Video games as an investor and can characteristic as an formally licensed participant in its upcoming cellular cricket sport, eCricket.
LightFury didn’t disclose the dimensions or phrases of Sharma’s funding.
Sharma is the eighth marquee cricketer to put money into the Bengaluru-based gaming studio. Its different cricketer traders embody MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma, and Sai Sudharsan.
The announcement comes as LightFury prepares to start the phased closed beta rollout of eCricket in September 2026. Early customers will get entry to the sport and supply suggestions to assist the startup refine it forward of a wider launch later this yr.
Greater than 3 Lakh customers have signed up for eCricket, whereas its newest teaser crossed 1 Mn views over the weekend, the startup stated.
The teaser showcases Final Squad, a sport mode that can permit customers to assemble groups from a roster of greater than 700 formally licensed cricketers from internationally.
Former Indian cricketer and tv character Navjot Singh Sidhu will characteristic as one of many sport’s official commentators. LightFury plans to deliver extra commentary voices to the sport.
eCricket will supply aggressive gameplay, cricket physics, high-quality visuals, licensed gamers, and social and multiplayer options, in accordance with the startup.
“Our ambition is to point out that India can construct defining sport franchises for the world. eCricket is our dedication to creating an genuine, aggressive and technologically superior cricket expertise, made in India for the world,” stated LightFury cofounder and CEO Karan Shroff.
Founded in 2024 by former Unacademy CMO Shroff, Anurag Banerjee, and Tina Balachandran, LightFury is an AAA-focused game-tech studio. Its management staff has collectively labored on greater than 40 AAA titles.
AAA video games typically consult with high-budget titles developed with sizeable investments in know-how, graphics, manufacturing, and advertising and marketing. Grand Theft Auto V and The Final of Us are among the many distinguished examples of such titles.
In April, LightFury raised $11 Mn in a pre-Series A round from Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, MIXI, and Instances Web. The spherical additionally noticed participation from Dhoni, Bumrah, Pandya, Iyer, Jadeja, Varma, and Sudharsan.
The startup stated on the time that it might deploy the capital to develop eCricket and strengthen its stay operations, infrastructure, and content material pipeline to assist post-launch development and participant engagement.
Previous to that, the startup raised $8.5 Mn in a seed spherical led by Blume Ventures in 2024. It presently employs greater than 120 builders and different trade professionals.
LightFury is constructing the sport for a world viewers because it seeks to faucet an estimated 2.5 Bn cricket fanatics worldwide.
Sharma’s funding in LightFury is his second disclosed funding in an Indian startup this yr. In June, Pune-based fitness startup Fittr brought him on board as an investor and equity partner, constructing on his earlier affiliation with the model as an envoy.
The event comes at a time when India’s gaming market is increasing past battle royale and informal video games, with rising curiosity in a wider vary of cellular, PC, and console titles.
India had round 511 Mn players in 2025, whereas the nation’s gaming income rose 14.8% YoY to cross the $1 Bn mark for the primary time, reaching $1.04 Bn, in accordance with Niko Companions.
