Rohit Sharma joins LightFury Games as investor

Former India cricket captain Rohit Sharma has invested in Bengaluru gaming studio LightFury Games and will appear as a licensed player in its upcoming mobile game eCricket. The startup did not disclose the investment size. Sharma is the eighth marquee cricketer to back LightFury, joining MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma, and Sai Sudharsan.

The announcement comes as LightFury prepares for a phased closed beta of eCricket starting September 2026. More than 3 lakh users have signed up for the game, and its teaser crossed 1 million views over the weekend, the startup said. The game will feature over 700 officially licensed cricketers and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu as a commentator.

LightFury raised $11 million in a pre-Series A round in April from Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, MIXI, and Times Internet, with participation from the cricketer investors. The startup currently employs over 120 developers and is targeting an estimated 2.5 billion cricket enthusiasts worldwide. Sharma's investment is his second disclosed startup bet this year after fitness platform Fittr in June.