Next gen gets its stats together as Test Twenty teams with Cricheroes

MUMBAI: Cricket’s next big experiment isn’t knocking on the door, it’s kicking it open with a brand-new scoreboard. Test Twenty, the format aiming to become the sport’s “Fourth Format”, has teamed up with Cricheroes as the Official Stats Partner for the Junior Test Twenty Championship (JTTC), set for a global debut in 2026.

Think Test-match brain meets T20 adrenaline, Test Twenty blends 80 overs, four innings, and one same-day showdown. Created by sports entrepreneur Gaurav Bahirvani and backed by cricket royalty AB de Villiers, Matthew Hayden, Sir Clive Lloyd, and Harbhajan Singh, the format wants to redefine how young talent is tested, showcased, and discovered.

And there’s plenty of talent to uncover. With 25 million young cricketers entering India’s grassroots ecosystem every year, the JTTC claims the largest youth cricket base on the planet. The 2026 championship will feature six elite franchises three from India and three from global markets competing in a pathway modelled on the NCAA, designed for players aged 13 to 19.

But the real power play lies in the numbers. As the Official Stats Partner, Cricheroes will drive every layer of performance tracking across trials, regional and global combines, and tournament fixtures. Live scoring, digitised player profiles, centralised dashboards, and long-term analytical histories will form a unified data spine arguably the most sophisticated youth cricket analytics ecosystem ever assembled.

For Bahirvani, this partnership is the missing link in cricket’s modern talent pipeline. “Data is the backbone of talent discovery. CricHeroes has transformed grassroots cricket by giving every player a performance identity. Their integration makes JTTC the world’s most transparent, merit-driven pathway for youth cricketers,” he said.

Cricheroes founder Abhishek Desai echoed that sentiment, calling the championship a natural extension of their mission. “The Junior Test Twenty Championship aligns perfectly with our goal to elevate grassroots cricket globally. We’ll bring world-class analytics to young players on an unprecedented scale, redefining how talent is discovered and nurtured.”

With this alliance, cricket’s future doesn’t just look fast or fierce, it looks measured, mapped, and meticulously scored. And for the next generation dreaming of the big stage, every run, spell, and split second counts like never before.