Inside the Massive Technology Operation Driving IPL 2026

As IPL viewership reaches new heights, JioStar's advanced Sportstech stack, complex streaming architecture, AI workflows, and multi-feed production systems are powering one of the world's largest live sports events.

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Cricket has transformed from its humble origins on the village greens of England to a powerhouse sport and an advanced ecosystem of technology, commerce, and entertainment. The changes have been most extreme in India. Both in India and the rest of the world, cricket is no longer a sport - it is a cultural and entertainment phenomenon, and a driving force of digital consumption. The arrival of the Indian Premier League (IPL) accelerated this transformation, redefining how cricket is produced, distributed, and consumed across television and digital platforms. The IPL started as a franchise-based T20 tournament and has grown to become the largest live sporting property in the world, appealing to a global audience across screens, languages, and locations.

At the core of the broadcast evolution is scalable technology. The IPL is leading a consumption revolution. Star & Viacom18, now merged as JioStar, has significantly advanced its ability to provide digital services with a high degree of personalisation and interactivity, in real-time, and at an unprecedented level of user access. The IPL has pioneered a blended way of providing live sporting experiences by using broadcast and cloud networks, CDNs (Content Delivery Networks), and automation technologies to offer a wide range of customized viewing experiences, including interleaved multi-angle viewing, real-time commentaries in the viewing audience's language, AI-generated content, and streaming in 4K ultrahigh definition.

In an exclusive conversation, Rajat Nigam, JioStar India's Head of Technology & Media Operations, discusses how the company is addressing the challenges of managing the scale, complexity, and technology requirements of IPL 2026, while also redefining the standards of live sports production and streaming in India and beyond.