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The Global e-Cricket Premier League (GEPL) is back for its third season, with India's biggest e-cricket property returning with an expanded field, a record prize pool and a wider international footprint.
The third edition of the franchise-based e-cricket league began on August 1 and will run until August 9, with the grand finale scheduled at the Airaj Sports & Convention Centre in Pune. Powered by Real Cricket, the mobile cricket simulation game with more than 400 million lifetime downloads, GEPL Season 3 will feature eight franchises, up from six last season.
GEPL Expands To Eight Franchises
The league has added two new teams for its third season, Kolkata Hawks and Gujarat Wolves. Kolkata Hawks are owned by playback singer Sonu Nigam, while esports veteran Tanmay Singh, popularly
known as 'Scout', owns Gujarat Wolves.
The expansion comes after a breakthrough second season, which saw registrations cross 910,000 players, a significant jump from the 200,000 registrations recorded during the inaugural edition.
Season 2 also marked GEPL's television debut, with the tournament becoming the first Indian e-cricket league to receive television coverage alongside the IPL. Broadcast on Star Sports and JioHotstar generated more than 174 million impressions.
Chennai Falcons eventually emerged as champions, with the franchise co-owned by Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman of TVS Capital Funds, Madhusudanan R, Co-founder of M2P Fintech, and Arjun Santhanakrishnan, Group CEO of GS Global.
Record ₹3.1 Crore Prize Pool
Season 3 will offer the biggest prize pool in GEPL history, with ₹3.1 crore up for grabs. The league has also witnessed a competitive player auction, with 56 players picked across the eight franchises for a combined ₹62.75 lakh from a total purse of ₹64 lakh.
All-rounder Jetha Ram emerged as the most expensive player in GEPL history after Mumbai Grizzlies secured his services for ₹3.50 lakh.
GEPL Goes Global
The league will also make its international broadcast debut this season. Willow TV will bring GEPL Season 3 to viewers across the United States and Canada, adding to its existing Indian broadcast partners.
In India, fans can follow the tournament on Star Sports Select, Star Sports Khel and JioHotstar, with six hours of live coverage scheduled each day from 4 PM to 10 PM.
'Beginning Of India's Digital Sporting IP Reaching Global Audiences'
Rajan Navani, Chairman of JetSynthesys, said GEPL's growth represents the changing perception of e-cricket as a competitive sporting discipline. "When we launched GEPL, e-cricket had no stage in India and little recognition as a competitive sporting discipline. Season 2 changed that by bringing the league to millions of viewers through national television," Navani said.
He added that the league's international expansion could mark the start of a much larger journey for India's digital sports ecosystem. "This is the beginning of India's digital sporting IP reaching global audiences," Navani said.
With a larger franchise base, its biggest-ever prize pool and a first international broadcast, GEPL Season 3 is set to take the league into a new phase as it seeks to establish e-cricket as a mainstream competitive sporting property.
