Chennai, India; London, UK; Washington D.C., May 6, 2025 – Winners Alliance, the commercial partner of the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), has announced a new licensing agreement with Nextwave Multimedia, a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies and the developer behind the popular World Cricket Championship (WCC) mobile game franchise. Through the partnership, Nextwave will integrate names, images and likenesses of over 500 WCA-affiliated professional cricketers into its WCC titles. With hundreds of millions of downloads across its six releases, WCC remains one of the most widely played games across platforms.

Players currently incorporated in WCC3 include top international names, with additional athletes set to be introduced in May. The upcoming WCC4, scheduled for release later this year, will also feature stars such as Kagiso Rabada and Heinrich Klaasen from South Africa, Devon Conway and Tim Southee from New Zealand, Joe Root and Jos Buttler from England, Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine from West Indies, Rashid Khan from Afghanistan, and David Wiese from Namibia, in addition to players from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and the United States. 

The agreement enables cricketers that are part of the Winners Alliance group licensing program to generate incremental off-field income and gain wider visibility. It also engages Nextwave Multimedia users, allowing them to play as their favourite cricketers.

“It’s great to see Nextwave Multimedia harness the power of professional cricketers as a collective by obtaining a license for their game,” said Tom Moffat, Chief Executive, WCA. “Professional athletes in other global sports have benefited from large-scale group licensing opportunities like this for decades, and we’re pleased that cricket is starting to move into the modern era in this area. Winners Alliance continues to do great work for cricketers by unlocking new revenue streams, boosting their visibility, and protecting them against any unauthorized use of their rights.”

“Our license with Nextwave Multimedia is a great example of the kinds of long-term, athlete-centric collaborations that Winners Alliance is committed to creating,” said Eric Winston, President, Winners Alliance. “Cricketers, and all professional athletes, should be empowered to maximize their value. Nextwave Multimedia and Nazara Technologies are world-class companies that will unlock new value for cricketers, create new engagement opportunities for fans, and drive more value for the cricket ecosystem as a whole.” 

“Integrating over 500 of the world’s top cricketers into WCC marks a significant milestone for us,” said Nitish Mittersain, Founder & CEO of Nazara Technologies. “Our goal has always been to create deeply immersive and authentic sports gaming experiences. Featuring these renowned athletes brings the virtual game closer to reality, offering fans an unprecedented opportunity to engage with the sport—and their cricketing heroes—in a more personal and interactive way.”

Nextwave’s WCC franchise, launched in 2011, has grown to become one of the most downloaded cricket simulation games globally. Nazara Technologies, India’s largest and only public gaming company, acquired Nextwave Multimedia in 2024.

WCC is an officially licensed player product through Winners Alliance. It is not an official product of, or endorsed by, the ICC or any ICC Member unless otherwise prescribed.

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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 August 2022, Winners Alliance serves as the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA), and Grand Slam Track, 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.

About World Cricket Championship Franchise

The World Cricket Championship Franchise (WCC) is owned by Nextwave Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Nextwave’s cricket games have had over 500 million downloads spanning the period 2011 to 2025. The WCC franchise which launched in 2011, comprises WCC Lite, WCC 1, WCC 2, WCC Rivals, WCC Cricket Blitz and WCC 3. Games in the franchise have won multiple awards over the years, including “Best of Google Play”, “Best of Apple Store”, “App Annie Top 10”, “IAMAI Studio Game of the Year”, “NASSCOM/IGDC Game of the Year”, AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge conducted by the Government of India, and numerous others. The robust core engine and game features that power this gaming experience have been developed meticulously over a decade.

About Nextwave Multimedia Pvt. Ltd.

Nextwave Multimedia Pvt. Ltd., is a leading mobile game company in India. This Chennai-based studio is a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Ltd., a global gaming and sports media company. Next Wave develops quality casual and multiplayer games in the sports genre. Nextwave Multimedia has over 570 million downloads across its developed cricket games including World Cricket Championship Franchise (WCC), ‘Big Bash Cricket’ the official game of Cricket Australia’s Big Bash League and the “Battle of Chepauk” developed for the Chennai Super Kings.

About Nazara Technologies Ltd.

Nazara is India’s only listed gaming and Esports Company, with majority ownership of several leading gaming and esports brands with presence in India, the US, and other global markets. In esports, Nazara has India’s leading esports platform NODWIN Gaming and Sportskeeda/Pro Football Network in the sports media space. Nazara’s offerings in the interactive gaming segment include gamified early learning ecosystems like Kiddopia and Animal Jam, a leading IP based gaming studio ‘Fusebox’, India’s most popular cricket simulation franchise, World Cricket Championship (WCC), and a wide portfolio of casual games distributed through telco partnerships in many emerging markets. Additionally, Nazara controls Datawrkz, a digital ad tech company supporting its portfolio companies and external clients with demand-side user acquisition and supply-side ad monetization services. Website: https://www.nazara.com. 

About the World Cricketers’ 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 500 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.

Media Contacts

Winners Alliance: [email protected]

Nextwave Multimedia: [email protected] 

World Cricketers’ Association: [email protected] 

Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Kagiso Rabada, Andre Russell, Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson Among Star Cricketers to Appear in the First Large-Scale, Officially Licensed Mobile Cricket Game

Pune, India; Adelaide, Australia; Washington D.C., Aug. 26, 2024 – The World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) through its commercial affiliate, Winners Alliance, today announced a partnership with Jetsynthesys-owned Nautilus Mobile to create the first large-scale, officially licensed mobile simulation game in professional cricket history. Through this groundbreaking partnership, Real Cricket™, the most popular mobile cricket simulation game in the world, will feature the names, images, and likenesses of more than 250 professional cricketers, as granted by Winners Alliance. 

Real Cricket™ players will be able to compete as their favorite cricketers, including England’s Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Joe Root and Ben Stokes; New Zealand’s Kane Williamson; South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada; and the West Indies’ Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell; along with hundreds of other cricketing stars. By granting their rights through Winners Alliance, cricketers will benefit from incremental off-the-field revenues and increased visibility among Real Cricket’s™ hundreds of millions of global users.

“We  take immense pride in establishing that Real Cricket is the world’s most popular mobile cricket simulation game,” said Anuj Mankar, Director & CEO of Nautilus Mobile. “We are always looking for new ways to enhance the gaming experience for our ultra passionate users. By adding the likenesses of these global real cricket stars via the WCA and Winners Alliance, we’re bringing a level of authenticity and excitement that can’t be found anywhere else, making Real Cricket an unrivaled experience for cricket fans and gamers worldwide. As per our age old slogan and the team’s belief, it truly is ‘Time to get Real.’”

“This is an incredible opportunity for us cricketers and breaks new ground in our sport,” said Mitchell Starc, Australian cricketer. “It’s amazing to see the WCA looking out for us and helping us unlock these unique possibilities by collectivizing our commercial rights through our new partners at Winners Alliance. We’ve seen how athletes in other sports have benefited from similar initiatives, and we’re excited to see how Real Cricket and future partnerships will drive value for athletes and elevate cricket as a whole.” 

Since launching the franchise in 2014, Nautilus Mobile has released various Real Cricket™ titles, amassing over 350 million downloads globally and attracting more than one million daily active users on both iOS and Android devices. Users can compete in a variety of game modes and competition formats including quick matches, international and domestic tournaments, 1v1 multiplayer, play with friends multiplayer, and more. 

“We are thrilled to work with Nautilus Mobile to bring this groundbreaking, officially licensed opportunity to cricketers affiliated to WCA, increasing their off-field earning potential, visibility, and fan engagement,” said Tom Moffat, Chief Executive, WCA. “By leveraging their collective global rights, this is the first time in professional cricket history that hundreds of players worldwide can participate in a collaboration like this. This partnership is a great example of the innovative, player-centric initiatives we aim to pioneer with our partners at Winners Alliance, and also driving new value into the cricket ecosystem.” 

“As the first large-scale group licensing deal in international cricket history, this partnership is a monumental step for the WCA and its athletes,” said Eric Winston, President, Winners Alliance. “Aligning with a best-in-class company like Nautilus Mobile underscores our commitment to generating athlete-centric partnerships that will drive meaningful value to cricketers at scale.”

In January of 2024, Winners Alliance and the WCA forged an exclusive, long-term partnership to protect and optimize the global commercial rights of cricketers, emulating the successful model of players associations in other sports. Among its earliest priorities, Winners Alliance is building a sustainable group licensing program encompassing video games, trading cards, collectibles, and various related categories, maximizing off-field revenue potential for cricketers and directly funding the WCA’s advocacy efforts. 

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About Nautilus Mobile

Founded in 2013, Nautilus Mobile is a leading game developer having built the world’s most popular cricket simulation franchise on mobile. Nautilus Mobile is owned by Pune based Jetsynthesys and backed by Krafton. Annual additions have been made to the product line starting from Real Cricket™ 14 till Real Cricket™ 24 making it one of the most preferred brands for cricket lovers.In the last 10 years they have nurtured and built a strong franchise,whose line of cricket games are the leaders of its genre, making it the most loved and profitable cricket games on mobile.

About the World Cricketers’ 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 August 2022, Winners Alliance serves as the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA), and Grand Slam Track, 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.

Media Contacts

Nautilus Mobile: [email protected] 

World Cricketers’ Association: [email protected] 

Winners Alliance: [email protected]

Veteran executives Matt Grandis and Ross Meltzer to oversee commercial development for premium rights holders across sport, entertainment and media 

Washington, D.C., June 6, 2024 – Winners Alliance, an organization transforming athlete rights and commercialization in global sports, has partnered with Team Playmaker, a new sales, marketing and partnerships agency representing best-in-class rights holders across sport, entertainment, and media. Led by veteran executives Matt Grandis and Ross Meltzer, Team Playmaker will serve as an extension to rights holders, crafting strategic ideas and building impactful partnerships that connect brands, properties and fans to accelerate growth strategies and elevate athletes’ collective power.

Team Playmaker will serve as the official partnership development agency of Winners Alliance, bringing new commercial opportunities to Winners’ affiliate athlete collectives worldwide including the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA), and Michael Johnson’s new track & field venture. Team Playmaker will also work with additional rights holders, commercial brands and properties across sport, entertainment and media. 

“The creation of Team Playmaker represents an exciting opportunity to diversify our work and elevate our impact,” said Matt Grandis, Co-Managing Partner of Team Playmaker. “This venture, backed by the strength of Winners Alliance, allows us to be dynamic and innovative in our work to generate more meaningful, memorable, and measurable growth for our partners. We’re eager to help our longstanding partners meet their unique business objectives and we look forward to exploring new opportunities across sport, entertainment, media, lifestyle and culture.” 

“Teaming up with Winners Alliance was an obvious choice given our shared focus on athletes’ best interests, imaginative thinking, and impact,” said Ross Meltzer, Co-Managing Partner of Team Playmaker. “We’re excited to drive results for Winners Alliance’s diverse and inspiring athletes as well as a myriad of other best-in-class partners. There is tremendous potential for sport and entertainment to catalyze business growth, brand building, and internal impact, and we will be wholly focused on harnessing and unlocking that potential for our partners.”

Team Playmaker will provide end-to-end sales and marketing solutions across various functions including research and analysis, strategy and ideation, go-to market narrative, asset creation, business intelligence, digital strategy, partnership sales execution and revenue generation. The agency will work with partners to create and unlock new commercial opportunities around partnerships, sponsorships, athlete marketing, content, naming rights, jersey patch sales, events, activations, licensing, and more.   

“Winners Alliance is proud to partner with Team Playmaker and we recognize this as a milestone in our commitment to maximizing athletes’ collective power,” said Eric Winston, President of Winners Alliance. “We’re confident that Team Playmaker will create innovative and impactful opportunities for our athletes at scale, and will set the standard for effective marketing strategy and revenue generation for the sports and entertainment industry as a whole. Ross and Matt have unparalleled track records and we’re excited to work alongside them to transform commercialization in global sports.” 

Grandis and Meltzer boast more than 50 combined years of sales and marketing experience. Prior to launching Team Playmaker, the Co-Managing Partners led commercial efforts at CSM Sport & Entertainment where Grandis served as Chief Commercial Officer and Meltzer served as President of Properties and Chief Business Officer. Throughout their careers, Grandis and Meltzer have overseen commercial activities and sales and marketing strategy for a variety of premium brands, properties and rights holders across Formula 1, NFL, MLB, global football, domestic soccer, tennis, rugby, college sports, mass participation/running, media, and entertainment. 

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About Winners Alliance

Winners Alliance is a global, athlete-centric commercial solution focused on optimizing, protecting, and maximizing athletes’ collective value through the creation of novel group licensing, partnership, sponsorship, content, event and investment opportunities. Launched in August 2022, Winners Alliance serves as the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), and EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA), representing the group commercial rights of hundreds of athletes worldwide and creating scalable commercial opportunities that are impactful for athletes and partners alike. To learn more, visit www.winnersalliance.com and follow @WinnersAlliance on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.  

About Team Playmaker

Team Playmaker is a global sales, marketing and partnerships agency representing best-in-class rights holders across sport, entertainment, and media to accelerate growth strategies. Team Playmaker serves as an extension to rightsholder teams, crafting strategic ideas and building impactful partnerships that connect brands, properties and fans. Learn more at www.teamplaymaker.com. 

Media Contacts

[email protected]