Cricket meets gaming meets star power — and Season 3 of the Global e-Cricket Premier League (GEPL) is off to a thunderous start. Kicked off on August 1 at Pune’s Jairaj Sports & Convention Centre, this year’s edition isn’t just bigger, it’s genuinely global, with eight franchise teams battling it out through August 9.
Sonu Nigam’s Team Sets the Pace
Kolkata Hawks, owned by singer Sonu Nigam, topped the table after Day 1 with two wins from two matches — first a nail-biting 3-wicket victory over Hyderabad Rhinos, then a strong follow-up win over Chennai Falcons powered by Aman Vishwakarma’s fearless 44 not out.
The day’s biggest highlight, though, belonged to Mumbai Grizzlies’ Jetha. Bought for a record-breaking ₹3.50 lakh — the priciest signing in GEPL history — he smashed an unbeaten 48 off just 16 balls and grabbed the season’s first hat-trick, earning Player of the Match honors as Sara Tendulkar’s franchise crushed Gujarat Wolves by 67 runs.
GEPL : Day 1 Standings
| Rank | Team | Won | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kolkata Hawks | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Mumbai Grizzlies | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Chennai Falcons | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Hyderabad Rhinos | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Gujarat Wolves | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Delhi Sharks | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Pune Stallions | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Bengaluru Badgers | 0 | 2 | 0 |
A League Going Truly Global
Played on Real Cricket, the mobile game with over 400 million lifetime downloads, GEPL Season 3 carries a prize pool of ₹3.1 crore. The tournament airs live in India on Star Sports Select and Star Sports Khel, streams on JioHotstar, and for the first time ever, reaches audiences in the United States and Canada via Willow TV.
Season 2 had already made history as the first e-cricket property to earn a national TV slot alongside live sport, pulling in over 174 million impressions. With eight teams, marquee owners, and international broadcast reach, Season 3 looks set to top that.
Cricket fans following global cricket action can also catch related updates on TechnoSports.
