Prasar Bharati and In-Dot Sports Pvt Ltd launched the Kisan Cricket League (KCL) in New Delhi on 8 October 2026. The league will search for cricket and singing talent from rural and semi-urban India through smartphone-led digital auditions, AI-enabled screening and on-ground trials. Its inaugural season, a 15-over white-ball contest, is scheduled for February 2027 and will be telecast free to every corner of the country.
What Is the Kisan Cricket League?
The Kisan Cricket League is a national sports and entertainment platform launched by Prasar Bharati and In-Dot Sports Pvt Ltd to discover cricketers and singers from rural and semi-urban India. It combines smartphone auditions, AI screening, physical trials, annual contracts and free broadcast.
The Kisan Cricket League, shortened to KCL, works on the vision “Khelega Bharat, Dekhega India”. The idea is simple. Talent lives in villages and small towns, but opportunity stays locked in big cities. The Kisan Cricket League wants to reverse that flow. It calls its method “Silicon to Steel”, which means a journey that starts on a mobile phone screen and ends on a hard steel ground in a professional stadium.
The Kisan Cricket League must not be confused with the Kerala Cricket League, which also uses the short form KCL. The Kerala league is a state-level T20 contest run within Kerala and it peaks around August each year. The Kisan Cricket League is a separate national platform. It covers 28 states and 8 Union Territories and pairs cricket with singing.
| Kisan Cricket League at a Glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kisan Cricket League (KCL) |
| Launched by | Prasar Bharati and In-Dot Sports Pvt Ltd |
| Launch venue and date | New Delhi, 8 October 2026 |
| Tagline | Khelega Bharat, Dekhega India |
| Working idea | Silicon to Steel |
| Who can take part | Youth from rural and semi-urban India |
| Two talent streams | Cricket and singing |
| Inaugural cricket season | February 2027 |
How Will Rural Talent Be Selected?
The Kisan Cricket League will run one of the largest talent hunts in the country. The hunt is built for young people who have skill but no access to cricket academies, city coaches or scouting networks. The process starts on a smartphone. A player or singer records a performance and uploads it through the KCL Mobile App. The app creates a verified registration for each person. This step matters because it removes distance. A boy in a paddy village and a girl in a hill town both enter through the same digital door.
After upload, technology takes over the first filter. AI-enabled screening means computer software watches the videos and shortlists strong candidates. The software checks basic technique, movement and consistency before any human judge steps in. Shortlisted candidates then attend physical on-ground trials held across the country. Final selections pass through coaching and grooming before contracts are offered.
The KCL Mobile App will also keep audiences involved through the season. Location-based features and QR-code integration will allow voting, contests and match-day engagement. The aim is to let families and villages follow their own players. Two reality shows and short biographies of successful participants will track this journey from first video to final match.
Inaugural Season Format and Teams
The first cricket season of the Kisan Cricket League will use a 15-overs white-ball format. White-ball cricket means matches played with a white ball, usually under lights and at a fast pace. The season will have 45 live matches. All matches will be played in seven stadiums in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Tier 2 and tier 3 cities are smaller growing cities outside the big metros. Holding matches there brings professional cricket closer to the home districts of the players.
The national pool will have 7 teams, 140 emerging cricketers and 30 singers. The seven teams together will represent all 28 states and 8 Union Territories. Players are expected to receive annual contracts, coaching support and national exposure. The organisers describe the full cycle as a six-month cultural festival, not just a short tournament.
Singers are a core part of the design, not a side show. The 30 selected singers will sing regional team anthems. They will appear in music videos and perform during half-time breaks and match-day events. The league anthem sets this tone with the lines “Dharti ke Laal Hum Hain, Aur Jai Jawaan Hum Hain, Roti Ugaane Waale, Haan, Jai Kisan Hum Hain”, which honour farmers and rural pride.
Prasar Bharati and Free Broadcast on Waves OTT
Prasar Bharati is India’s public broadcaster. It is a statutory body set up under the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 and it came into existence on 23 November 1997. Its headquarters are in New Delhi and it works under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Its two main arms are Doordarshan for television, which started in 1959, and Akashvani (All India Radio) for radio. DD Sports is its dedicated sports channel and it reaches homes free of cost.
Every match, reality show and biography from the Kisan Cricket League will be available free. Viewers will pay zero subscription cost. The content will travel through Waves OTT, Doordarshan and Akashvani to national and global audiences. WAVES is the over-the-top streaming platform of Prasar Bharati. OTT means video and audio delivered over the internet without cable or dish. WAVES was launched at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Panaji, Goa, on 20 November 2024. It carries live TV, radio, films, news, education and games in more than 12 languages.
| Where to Watch Kisan Cricket League | What It Offers |
|---|---|
| Waves OTT | Live matches, two reality shows, player biographies on phone and smart TV |
| Doordarshan channels | Free-to-air television coverage, including DD Sports |
| Akashvani and NewsOnAir | Radio commentary and audio updates |
Prasar Bharati has stated that WAVES has already crossed 1.50 crore subscribers (as of October 2026). That reach is central to the plan. Private leagues depend on paid tickets and paid subscriptions. The Kisan Cricket League depends on free public platforms so that a farming family with a basic TV or phone can watch without paying.
Why the League Matters for Rural India
Indian cricket has a clear pyramid. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), set up in 1928 and headquartered in Mumbai, runs domestic contests like the Ranji Trophy, which started in 1934, and the Indian Premier League (IPL), which started in 2008. The IPL proved that a short, fast format can change lives. Young players from small towns earned contracts, shared dressing rooms with global stars and entered the national team. Yet entry into that pyramid still needs academies, money, travel and contacts. Large parts of rural India stay outside it.
The Kisan Cricket League attacks that gap directly. It accepts raw talent through a phone video, not through a city trial. It adds annual player contracts and coaching, which give income safety along with fame. It places stadiums in smaller cities, which spreads hotel, transport and event work beyond metros. It also treats music as equal to sport. A singer from a folk tradition gets the same stage as a fast bowler. The combination of sport, music and free broadcast turns a cricket tournament into a wider platform for rural confidence.
Key Takeaways
- The Kisan Cricket League (KCL) was launched in New Delhi on 8 October 2026 by Prasar Bharati and In-Dot Sports Pvt Ltd.
- The league targets rural and semi-urban youth through digital auditions, AI-enabled screening and on-ground trials via the KCL Mobile App.
- The inaugural season in February 2027 will feature 45 live matches in a 15-overs white-ball format across seven tier 2 and tier 3 city stadiums.
- The national pool comprises 7 teams, 140 cricketers and 30 singers representing 28 states and 8 Union Territories.
- All content will stream free on Waves OTT, launched on 20 November 2024 at the 55th IFFI in Goa, along with Doordarshan and Akashvani.
- Prasar Bharati, set up under the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 and established on 23 November 1997 with headquarters in New Delhi, is India’s public broadcaster.
