GEPL: The next big thing in cricket?
By Bharat Hegde
Cricket in India has historically gone where the money has gone, but obviously and naturally. The rapid rise of IPL was one such example where the sport intentionally went towards money and glamour.
This tendency has now replicated into the virtual world as well, given the pace at which cricket and cricketing has seemingly “adopted” technology.
The rise of the Global e-Cricket Premier League (GEPL) is symbolic of this shift in the space of virtual cricket. A symbol of the intersection of traditional sports and digital gaming, GEPL aims to be a platform where enthusiasts of both can come together to experience the thrill of e-cricket.
Currently in its second season, GEPL has expanded exponentially in both its player base and prize money. The league is powered by JetSynthesys, a major player in the esports industry. The league is conducted in partnership with Real Cricket 24, an extremely popular mobile cricket game with over 300 million downloads across platforms. GEPL has leveraged this game to create a more immersive experience.
What’s so special about all of this?
Firstly, the exponential growth in registrations, from 200,000 to 900,000, has made everyone sit up and take notice. Second is the prize money pool, totaling ₹3.05 crore for the tournament that spans 15 weeks. In a country saturated by the IPL and all the fantasy sports associated with it, GEPL seems like another addition to get users hooked onto their digital devices.
What Is GEPL and How Does It Work?
In essence, GEPL is a franchise-based digital cricket tournament where teams, each representing a major city, battle it out to claim the title of e-Cricket Icon. As mentioned before, it uses Real Cricket 24 to try to deliver an authentic cricket experience in the virtual world. Through this, it aims to be accessible to fans of both traditional sports and esports.
The league format consists of offline matches over the span of 15 weeks. All the matches lead up to the high-energy grand finale in May 2025. The tournament hopes to build a sustainable ecosystem for rising esports players and the esports industry in India. With its increasing popularity, the league hopes to offer grassroots opportunities for players to showcase their talent, compete for high-profile titles, and receive recognition from a global audience.
One of the key reasons for GEPL’s massive success is the high-profile figures backing the teams. Among the standout personalities joining the league is Sara Tendulkar, the daughter of cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar. Sara’s involvement is a major moment in GEPL’s journey. As the Mumbai franchise owner, her connection to cricket is undeniable, and her decision to enter the world of esports brings a unique appeal to the league.
Through Sara’s participation, GEPL hopes to bridge the worlds of traditional cricket fandom with the fast-growing esports industry. With her deep-rooted connection to Mumbai and her family’s cricket legacy, Sara’s ownership adds immense credibility to the league. Her presence is also expected to drive significant engagement and attract a younger audience, especially among Gen Z and millennial fans, who are integral to the growth of esports.
In addition to Sara Tendulkar, Peyush Bansal (owner of the Delhi Sharks), Nikhil Kamath, Ankit Nagori, and Prashant Prakash (owners of the Bengaluru Badgers), and Gopal Srinivasan, Madhusudanan R, and Arjun Santhanakrishnan (owners of the Chennai Falcons) are among the notable franchise owners. Amit Mehta (owner of the Hyderabad Rhinos) and actor-investor Suniel Shetty (owner of the Pune Stallions) have also joined forces with GEPL, adding further star power to the league.
With these figures backing them, GEPL is looking to make a major splash in the days going forward. But in a calendar already dominated by traditional sports, it will find it difficult to catch enough eyeballs regularly.
What Does the Future Hold for the Industry?
The increasing popularity of esports in India, especially with cricket-based digital competitions like GEPL, reflects the changing landscape of entertainment. Esports has now firmly entered the mainstream, with projections estimating the industry will be worth ₹1,100 crore by 2025.
GEPL hopes to drive this shift, as it provides a professional platform for gamers, builds an investment-driven ecosystem, and fosters greater engagement with a younger audience. The key to sustaining this growth will depend on the experience that industry players are able to provide to both the players and the audience in general.
The league’s growing success, coupled with the involvement of high-profile investors and celebrities, highlights the evolving landscape of esports in India. As the league continues to bridge traditional cricket and the digital sports world, GEPL hopes to deliver thrilling competition, entertainment, and opportunities for aspiring esports athletes, much like traditional sports leagues have done, in the years to come.
What remains to be seen is how much momentum the league can generate and whether it can sustain this momentum. Maybe the IPL of tomorrow will be played by us on a 4K screen in our hands?
Who knows?
