LightFury Games Secures $11M With Indian Cricketers’ Backing

LightFury Games (LFG), a AAA-focused game-tech studio, has raised $11 million USD, bringing Indian cricketers on board as both investors and in-game characters for its upcoming title, eCricket. The game is scheduled to launch on iOS and Android in late 2026.

Funding round details were made available on April 23, 2026, and included:

• Institutional investors: Mixi, Times Internet, V3 Ventures, Blume Ventures.
• Cricketer investors: MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma, Sai Sudharsan.

The Bengaluru-based game-tech company confirmed that these players will appear as playable avatars.

LightFury Games CEO, Karan Shroff, stated to Moneycontrol that Dhoni will be exclusive to the game. Dhoni said, “I’ve seen a lot of cricket games over the years, and there’s always been something missing. When LightFury showed me what they were working on, I felt they were trying to close that gap.”

Founded in 2024 by Shroff, Anurag Banerjee, and Tina Balachandran, LightFury is building a real-time multiplayer cricket experience structured similarly to EA Sports FC (EAFC). The company currently employs around 100 people.

The game is developed on Unreal Engine 5, with plans to expand to PC and consoles in 2027.

LightFury Games' Growth Plans and Gaming Industry Funding Trends

The LightFury Games investment will fund live operations, development completion, and post-launch systems such as infrastructure and content updates. The company has conducted three controlled playtests, with more planned ahead of release.

eCricket combines strategic batting and bowling systems, physics-led gameplay, AI motion capture, and dynamic commentary. LightFury has also secured a global roster license covering more than 600 professional cricketers, including Chris Gayle, Travis Head, Joe Root, Pat Cummins, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Kane Williamson, and Andre Russell.

The round follows an $8.5M seed raise in April 2024 backed by Mixi, Blume Ventures, Gemba Capital, and angel investors Kunal Shah and Gaurav Munjal.

Altogether, the structure reflects a broader rise in Indian cricket players’ startup investment. It aligns with esports investment trends in India as LightFury prepares to compete with Real Cricket, Dream Cricket, and World Cricket Championship.