Former India captain Rohit Sharma has invested in Bengaluru-based gaming studio LightFury Video games and can characteristic as an formally licensed participant in its upcoming cricket recreation, eCricket.

The dimensions and phrases of the investment haven’t been disclosed.

Rohit turns into the eighth distinguished cricketer to put money into LightFury, joining MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma and Sai Sudharsan.

The announcement comes because the startup prepares to start a phased closed beta of eCricket in September 2026, forward of a wider launch deliberate for later within the 12 months.

LightFury mentioned greater than 300,000 folks had signed up for the sport and that its newest teaser had handed a million views.

The closed beta will give an preliminary group of gamers entry to eCricket, with their suggestions anticipated to assist the studio refine the sport earlier than its wider launch.

As a part of his affiliation with LightFury, Rohit will seem within the recreation as a licensed participant. The startup mentioned his expertise on the highest degree of cricket and understanding of the game would additionally present perspective because it develops the title.

“Excessive-performance sport is constructed on preparation, precision and the pursuit of steady enchancment. I see those self same values mirrored in what LightFury Video games is constructing with eCricket,” Rohit mentioned.

“Their ambition to create a world-class cricket expertise from India is compelling, and I’m excited to help that imaginative and prescient whereas serving to convey the sport nearer to hundreds of thousands of cricket followers world wide,” he mentioned.

LightFury’s newest teaser showcases Final Squad, considered one of eCricket’s predominant recreation modes.

Based on the startup, gamers will have the ability to assemble groups from a roster of greater than 700 formally licensed cricketers from world wide, giving them the choice to experiment with completely different combos and match-ups.

Former India cricketer and tv persona Navjot Singh Sidhu may even characteristic as an official commentator, with additional commentary voices deliberate.

LightFury describes eCricket as a aggressive cricket expertise that includes real-world physics, high-fidelity visuals and multiplayer and social parts. It’s being developed utilizing Unreal Engine 5.

Karan Shroff, co-founder and CEO of LightFury Video games, mentioned the corporate wished to exhibit that globally aggressive gaming franchises may very well be developed in India.

“India has been one of many world’s largest gaming markets for years. Our ambition is to indicate that India can construct defining recreation franchises for the world. eCricket is our dedication to creating an genuine, aggressive and technologically superior cricket expertise, made in India, for the world,” Shroff mentioned.

He mentioned the variety of sign-ups and the response to the newest teaser mirrored the dimensions of the chance for cricket gaming.

LightFury Video games was based in 2024 by Shroff, Anurag Banerjee and Tina Balachandran and describes itself as an AAA-focused recreation expertise studio. Its management group has collectively labored on greater than 40 AAA titles.

In April 2026, LightFury raised $11 million in a pre-Collection A funding spherical backed by Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, MIXI and Occasions Web.

Dhoni, Bumrah, Pandya, Iyer, Jadeja, Varma and Sudharsan additionally participated in that spherical as strategic investors.

LightFury mentioned the funding shall be used primarily to finish the event of eCricket and strengthen its dwell operations, together with infrastructure and content material methods meant to help the sport after launch.

The funding adopted an $8.5 million seed spherical raised by the startup in 2024.

eCricket’s phased closed beta is scheduled to start in September 2026, with the broader launch deliberate for later within the 12 months.