Cricket’s reputation continues to soar because the Indian Premier League drew a report digital viewers for Monday’s 2023 IPL Final between the Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.

JioCinema, a streaming service backed by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani — Asia’s richest man with an estimated web value of almost $90 billion and proprietor of the Mumbai Indians cricket staff — attracted about 32 million concurrent viewers for the match, Bloomberg reported.

The determine — a worldwide report for a livestreamed occasion — was boosted not solely by free distribution of the rain-delayed, rain-shortened match, but in addition by fan hypothesis that Chennai’s star cricketer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, can be making his closing skilled look.

Last yr, JioCinema and dad or mum Viacom18 secured the short-form cricket event’s digital rights, beating out rival bidders equivalent to Disney with a reported five-year, $2.6 billion deal, and can now look to transform its report viewers without spending a dime content material into paid subscribers.

As that effort unfolds, buyers and media corporations proceed to flock to the game. After centuries of projecting a extra staid, conservative picture, lately the game has been invigorated by injections of glitz and glamor for an more and more greater profile.

Earlier this month, New York-based funding agency Tiger Global neared a $40 million deal to spend money on the Rajasthan Royals, whereas efforts are additionally building to incorporate cricket within the 2028 Summer Olympics.