LightFury Games Secures 600+ Licensed Cricket Players for Upcoming E-Cricket Game. Check out the full details below.
LOS ANGELES and BENGALURU, India, January 27, 2026 —
Winners Alliance, the global athlete-centric commercial entity representing international cricketers through the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), today announced a major collaboration with LightFury Games, India’s premier AAA-focused game-tech studio. The partnership will bring more than 600 officially licensed international cricketers into E-Cricket, a next generation video game scheduled for global release in early 2026, marking one of the broadest gaming licenses in Winners Alliance’s history.
The licensed roster spans the world’s major cricketing nations, including Australia, New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, Ireland, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Uganda, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, and more. Every licensed athlete appears as a fully playable character inside the game, reflecting both the sport’s established powerhouses and its expanding global footprint. That depth translates directly into gameplay, with each athlete represented through individual player builds, overall ratings, signature playing styles, and detailed statistical models that mirror real world strengths, tendencies, and match impact.
Built on Unreal Engine 5 and designed mobile-first, E Cricket is a next generation cricket experience that will deliver high fidelity visuals, AI driven gameplay, and realistic player likenesses with true-to-life gameplay action like in real-world cricket. The game will deliver meaningful depth through richer player interactions and evolving journeys that move past static ratings and predefined play styles. It features broadcast-style presentation, dynamic AI-led commentary, and strategic batting and bowling systems, all supported by progression-based player models that respond to match situations and player decisions in real time. Together, these systems create a more authentic and unpredictable cricket experience, where athletes behave as situationally aware characters and no two matches, moments, or outcomes unfold the same way.
“Cricket is a global passion, and this partnership with LightFury ensures that athletes remain at the heart of how the game grows and connects with fans,” said Tim Cruickshank, VP of Commercial at Winners Alliance. “Working alongside the World Cricketers’ Association, Winners Alliance proudly represents the collective licensing rights of international cricketers, making authentic, large-scale cricket experiences possible. E-Cricket is exactly the kind of project this model was built to support.”
“What we are building with E-Cricket is bold by design. This is an ambitious effort to redefine how the world looks at games coming out of India. Our goal with this partnership with Winners Alliance is to give fans and the cricket community a deeply authentic, real-world experience of the sport they love most – not just to play it, but to truly live it.” “The inclusion of over 600 licensed international cricketers and Indian marquee cricket players is a defining step in that journey. It gives a way for fans to step into the shoes of their heroes and fuels our long-term vision of building and scaling a rich, immersive cricket ecosystem. As we move forward with our mission, we are committed to raising the bar for realism, depth, and technology, and ultimately delivering the best cricket video game the world has ever seen,” said Karan Shroff, CEO and Co-founder of LightFury Games.
Founded in 2024, LightFury Games has emerged as a force within India’s fast-growing gaming ecosystem. Backed by investors including Blume Ventures, MIXI Global, Krafton, Gemba Capital, and Java Capital, LightFury is building AAA-level games that combine deep-tech innovation with global storytelling.
The agreement reflects a continued strategic collaboration between Winners Alliance and an elite AAA gaming studio committed to bringing authentic, officially licensed cricket gaming experiences to market.
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About LightFury Games:
Founded in 2024 by industry veterans Karan Shroff, Anurag Banerjee, and Tina Balachandran, LightFury Games is India’s premier AAA-focused game-tech studio dedicated to building high-quality, cutting-edge gaming experiences. Together, their leadership team has worked on more than 40 AAA titles. The firm is backed by $8.5 million in seed funding from Blume Ventures, MIXI Global Investments Inc., Krafton, Gemba Capital and Java Capital.
About World Cricketer’s Association
The World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) is the global players body in cricket. WCA collectively represents the players across the majority of top cricket playing countries at global level through their domestic players’ associations, and with over 600 international players participating in its global commercial program. WCA cares about:
- Players – Advocating for, supporting, and providing world class services to players at global level
- Players’ Associations – Enabling and empowering players’ associations around the world
- The Game – Positively influencing the direction of the global game
- Optimising Commercial Value – For players and powering the player movement
To learn more, visit www.theworldca.com.
About Winners Alliance
Winners Alliance is a global, athlete-centric commercial solution dedicated to creating novel group licensing, sponsorship, partnership, content, investment and event opportunities for world-class athletes collectively. Launched in 2022, Winners Alliance serves as the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), and EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) representing the group commercial rights of hundreds of athletes worldwide. Among its pioneering initiatives, Winners Alliance aims to establish a sustainable group licensing program encompassing video games, trading cards, collectibles, and related opportunities. To learn more, visit www.winnersalliance.com and follow @WinnersAlliance on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.