Indian media and entertainment heavyweight JioStar has retained rights to the Abu Dhabi T10 short-form franchise cricket tournament, for the upcoming 2026 edition.
Through a tie-up unveiled today, JioStar – through its Star Sports linear broadcaster, and also via the JioHotstar streaming platform – will air all 32 matches of the six-team tournament live, taking place in the Emirate between November 7 and 20.
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The tie-up covering the 10-over-per-side event includes not only India but the entire subcontinent.
An Indian broadcast deal is the prerequisite for any serious short-form franchise cricket tournament, given the size of that market and Indian networks' willingness to pay substantial broadcast fees for top-tier cricket.
The market has been the main provider of international audiences for the Abu Dhabi T10 since that tournament was first launched in 2017.
Star Sports and JioHotstar also provided live coverage of last year's event, won by the UAE Bulls, as did digital broadcaster FanCode.
Matt Boucher, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi T10, commented: "This partnership represents a special moment in the continued evolution of the Abu Dhabi T10. India has always been our biggest and most passionate market and collaborating with JioStar enables us to connect with an even broader audience through platforms renowned for delivering world-class cricket coverage."
For that league, this deal comes following its transition to an organization that is majority-owned by the Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub entity – thus, it is now a "government-owned national sporting asset."
Prashant Khanna, head of sports rights and innovation at JioStar, added: "T10 has found its audience in India for its mile-a-minute format, and we are excited to bring that same energy to the Abu Dhabi T10. In a market that lives and breathes cricket like no other, JioStar’s unparalleled reach can take the event far and wide while pulling in a whole new set of fans along the way.”
In terms of other major cricket rights held by JioStar, that heavyweight also covers the Indian Premier League domestically, as well as global events organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In addition, it now holds Indian rights to English short-form domestic cricket's The Hundred.
Other broadcasters for last year's Abu Dhabi T10, meanwhile, included Starzplay in the Middle East and North Africa, Fox Sports in Australia, Rush Sports in the Caribbean, Willow TV in the US and Canada (among other markets), and Premier Sports in the UK.
Well-known players set to compete in this tournament include the likes of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, and Trent Boult. No Indian players will take part, however, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India does not generally allow its contracted players to appear in tournaments outside the IPL.
