JioStar & ICC: Cricket’s power couple aren’t breaking up just yet

DUBAI & MUMBAI: The rumour mill can finally stop churning. In a joint statement that had all the urgency of a clarification after tabloid gossip, the International Cricket Council and JioStar have told the world to pipe down: their partnership is not on the rocks.

Recent media reports suggesting JioStar had given the ICC the cold shoulder were, to put it mildly, wide of the mark. The Indian broadcasting giant remains firmly at the crease as the ICC’s official media rights partner on the subcontinent. Any whispers of a walkout? Pure fiction.

JioStar, for its part, has pledged to honour its contractual obligations “in letter and spirit”—the corporate equivalent of saying “we’re still together, and we mean it.” The broadcaster insists it’s fully committed to delivering world-class coverage of upcoming ICC events, including the Men’s T20 World Cup, cricket’s equivalent of a summer blockbuster.

Both organisations insist preparations are ticking along swimmingly. Viewers, advertisers and industry partners needn’t lose sleep. The show, as they say, will go on.

As for the ICC and JioStar themselves? They’re not just partners—they’re “long-term commercial partners” who chat regularly about “operational, commercial and strategic matters.” In other words, they’re in it for the long haul, growing the sport one boundary at a time.

For now, at least, this partnership remains not out.