The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has emerged as the most-watched edition in the tournament’s history, crossing 500 million viewers in India, according to the International Cricket Council. The milestone was revealed by ICC Chairman Jay Shah in a post on X, highlighting the scale of audience engagement the tournament has generated in its biggest cricket market.

In his message on X, Shah said the tournament had been conceptualised with the ambition of becoming the most “global and accessible” cricket event ever. The viewership milestone in India, he noted, reflects the immense popularity of the format and the strong connection between Indian fans and global cricket events.

“I am humbled that viewership for the event in India has crossed 500 million, the highest ever for any T20 World Cup in history. It was also heartening to see concurrent viewers JioHotstar hit a peak of 60.5 million,” Shah wrote in his post, referring to the digital streaming performance on JioHotstar.

Digital engagement around the tournament has also surged, underscoring the growing dominance of streaming platforms for marquee sporting events. The peak concurrent viewership of 60.5 million on JioHotstar highlights the rising role of connected devices and mobile consumption in how audiences watch cricket today.

Shah further expressed optimism that the numbers could continue to grow as the tournament moves into its most crucial phase. “With knock-out matches for the tournament starting tonight, we hope that the immeasurable love our events receive from Indian fans helps break more records,” he added.

The record-setting performance comes as the tournament enters its knockout stage, traditionally the most-watched segment of ICC events. India remains the ICC’s single largest broadcast market, and the 500-million viewer milestone underscores the sustained commercial strength of T20 cricket across television and digital platforms.

The strong viewership also reinforces the format’s central role in driving advertising, sponsorships and media rights value for global cricket. With broadcasters and streaming platforms competing to capture the massive cricket audience in India, events like the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup continue to set new benchmarks in sports viewership and digital engagement.