Sanjog Gupta outlines ICC's 'fit for future' roadmap, calls for innovation and balance

Sustaining and enriching cricket's core is pivotal to the sport's future, even as efforts are made to expand into new markets, pointed out Sanjog Gupta. In his address to ICC Board members on Friday, the ICC CEO said the athletic spectacle remains at the heart of the ICC's vision.

"At the core of a sporting event's success is the 'athletic spectacle' that it offers – we must continually strive for enhanced context, competition and competitiveness in our events. Our events must be significant cultural experiences – immersive and inclusive – leaving a lasting impact. They need to also be seen as tournaments of prestige for our players, always alluring top players to participate," Gupta said.

"We need to elevate the stature of our events, sustain fandom with always-on experiences and build affiliated communities & engaged sub-groups. Our ability to generate more value for the ICC membership is linked directly to the depth and breadth of engagement that our product portfolio can deliver and our ability to commercialise engagements across multiple consumer touchpoints," the ICC chief said.

Gupta emphasised the need to review ICC products with a "fit for future" mindset. "It requires re-visiting existing competition formats and exploring new structures, to deliver enhanced value to our existing fans and recruit new ones. We need to collectively push for the elevation of our events because the ripple effects created by a successful event run far beyond the geographic boundaries of the host venues and the participating nations," he pointed out.

He also stressed the importance of continuing to build enhanced in-person and digital experiences for fans and participants. "The experiential and engagement economies are booming with most consumer segments increasing spends on 'unmissable moments' and 'immersive experiences'. While on-field athleticism is essential to the delivery of an elevated experience, the entertainment and lifestyle components can't be ignored. Similarly, while the live broadcast of our events will continue to be the driver of fan engagement."

Gupta added that the ICC must relook at its economic model as part of its efforts to diversify and broaden the game. "Cricket must strive to diversify, broaden and deepen its economic model. This requires a re-look at how the sport is currently commercialized and how the prevailing economic models need to be bolstered, refreshed or rebuilt. This will have a significant bearing on the models of partnership with our distribution and commercial stakeholders.

"It could also mean the introduction of a different profile and segment of partners for international Cricket," he said, adding that ICC leadership has initiated a strategy reset – a comprehensive framework to define the sport's growth blueprint for the next decade, seeking to balance sporting integrity, economic sustainability and a fan-first mindset. "Technology will play a pivotal role in the growth of the game. From fan engagement to operations, from data analytics to immersive experiences – adoption and deployment of technology need to become part of Cricket's DNA. Cricket must be seen as a sport at the forefront of innovation."

Olympics: A once-in-a-century opportunity

The ICC CEO elaborated on the transformative opportunity presented by cricket's Olympic return. "Cricket's inclusion in LA28 (Olympic Games) marks one of the sport's most transformative opportunities, potentially gaining access to millions of new fans. The ICC teams have been in constant dialogue with the IOC and LA28 for the successful delivery of the event in 2028. We have also recently begun meaningful discussions with Brisbane 2032 for Cricket's inclusion in their program.

"The inclusion also promises significant access to government funding allowing deeper investments in the game. Additionally, the inclusion of Cricket in regional multi-sport competitions such as the Asian, Pan-American and African Games, will provide further prominence to the sport in regions with limited affiliation to the sport. This will bolster high-performance and grassroot-level programs in several nations. The ICC teams continue to engage with sports federations/governing bodies/governments to push for Cricket's inclusion in more regional and sub-regional games," Gupta said.

Cricket will return to the Olympics after 128 years. ICC chair Jay Shah and Gupta were recently in Lausanne, Switzerland, where they met IOC president Kirsty Coventry. The growth of women's sport and cricket's role in the Olympic movement were among the key topics of discussion. The duo also held extended talks with teams from IOC, LA28 and Brisbane 2032 on event delivery, competition formats and qualification pathways.

Gupta opened his presentation by underlining the importance of transformation. "We live in a world where transformation is a constant, with paradigm shifts in consumption and culture underway. Sport as a microcosm of the world, is also being transformed, at times by design and at times, by disruption. At the center of this rapid evolution happens to be the fan, described in his/her distinct but overlapping expressions of fandom – as a consumer, a viewer, a participant and now even a creator. Today's fan is more unique, less attentive, highly connected and increasingly demanding, but still seeking a sense of identity, belonging and community, perhaps even increasingly so in a world more polarized and diverse than ever before.

"As custodians of the world's second largest sport – with 2+ billion fans across 100+ countries – the onus is on us to steer these transformational forces into becoming forces of growth for the global game. We must look upon them as sizeable opportunities instead of allowing them to become limiting challenges. We must be willing to critique our legacy with an aim to strengthen our future. We must strive to be more creative, collaborative and courageous – the same values our athletes regularly demonstrate on field."