Cricket 2035: A Glimpse Into the Future of the Game
Umpires, Coaches, and AI: The New Decision Makers
In 2035, human umpires still gather at the crease, but behind the scenes a silent AI watches every ball. Computer vision and neural nets process footage in real time, instantly spotting ultra-fine edges, front-foot no-balls, or fingertip catches that even the best eyes might miss. Today’s tools – Hawk-Eye tracking and UltraEdge snickometers – are already AI-assisted. Tomorrow’s tech will elevate them further. For example, experts predict AI-powered officiating where a “smart umpire” flags questionable deliveries and even LBW calls before a bowler can appeal. This would not replace humans, but augment them – correcting errors on the fly and reducing controversies.
But it’s not just officiating. Teams will carry AI assistants into the pavilion. Already, AI analysis of player stats and biomechanics is common. In the future, imagine a coach wearing AR glasses, with an AI overlay that highlights the batsman’s footwork or the bowler’s arm angle in slow motion. The AI crunches massive data sets (past matches, weather, player fitness) to suggest on-the-spot tactics: “shift the field here,” or “introduce the left-arm spinner now.” A recent report even suggests AI could offer real-time decision support to captains, suggesting bowling changes or field placements during a match.
Key AI roles in 2035 cricket will include:
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Real-time tactics – AI assistants give on-field insights (best bowler, field adjustments) by analyzing ball-by-ball data.
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Player development – Machines track performance trends, spotting future stars and tailoring training plans to each athlete’s needs.
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Fan engagement – AI-driven digital commentators and interactive match previews personalize the experience (for example, a virtual Virat commentary track).
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Injury prevention – AI systems monitor workloads and biomechanics, flagging bowlers or batsmen at risk of injury so support staff can intervene.
These are not wild guesses. Teams already use wearable sensors to monitor heart rate, joint load and running patterns in real time. By 2035 this data is fed to AI coaches. A bowler’s smart shirt might warn that her elbow torque is spiking dangerously, while an AI video analysis tells a batsman exactly why he’s edging more deliveries. In effect, AI coaches and umpires become silent but powerful partners in every game.
Virtual Reality and Stadium Tech: Immersive Fan Experiences
Figure: A futuristic stadium might have panoramic AR displays, and fans could wear VR/AR headsets for custom views of the game.
By the mid-2030s, watching cricket live or on broadcast will feel like stepping into another dimension. Stadiums will be packed with digital augmentation. For example, every seat could double as a VR station: a fan with AR glasses might see the bowler’s speed and spin rate projected on the ball in flight, or switch camera angles to “sit” in the bowler’s head or behind the striker. Reports envision tech-enabled stadiums where “AR and VR fan experiences” let you relive iconic moments from a player’s perspective. Imagine a kid being able to, virtually, bat against their hero’s delivery or field a catch hit by a star player, all through simulation.
Along with VR, AI-enhanced broadcasts will be the norm. Thanks to 6G networks and smart cameras, you can expect 16K-quality streams with zero lag. Commentaries will be auto-translated into many languages in real time – one crowd cheering in Hindi, another hearing their favorite English or Spanish commentator, all simultaneously. LED billboards around the ground will show personalized sponsor messages or stats based on your digital profile, so every fan sees content that speaks to them. Meanwhile, ball-tracking and AI predictions will be overlaid on screens instantly, showing an on-field LBW or hot-spot decision before even TV replays.
Key stadium innovations by 2035 might include:
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Mixed Reality Overlays – AR visuals show trajectories, player bios, and even replays from bird’s-eye view to each fan.
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AI Translation & Commentary – Live commentary auto-subtitled and dubbed in multiple languages, with options to hear your favorite announcer’s voice.
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Frictionless Entry – Facial recognition or NFC passes let fans walk in touch-free, while AI guards and robots provide security or help around the stands.
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Smart Drones and Robots – Drones might broadcast mini replays to screens, and robot vendors roam the aisles delivering sodas or merch via app orders.
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Renewable, Green Stadiums – Grounds will run on solar and wind power, harvesting energy from solar-panel roofs and kinetic tiles under the turf.
Already, organizers are experimenting: the 2022 World Cup (Cricket) introduced an AR app that let fans scan the field and see live stats float above players. By 2035, such tech will be routine. GlobalData predicts AI and IoT will “integrate across all aspects of stadium operations and fan engagement,” personalizing content like never before. And on the entertainment side, broadcasts will offer “betting-oriented live overlays” or even child-friendly educational streams with fun graphics. In short, the boundary between the stadium and your living room will vanish: fans anywhere might feel as if they’re right on the pitch.
Global Leagues and the Club-Nation Blend
The cricket calendar in 2035 will be unrecognizable compared to 2025. Already in 2024 there were over a dozen franchise T20 leagues worldwide. Fast forward and imagine one global marketplace of teams. IPL owners might own teams in the USA, Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. Young talent from emerging nations will hop between leagues like modern gladiators. In effect, the line between “national team” and “club team” will blur. Players may wear jerseys branded by cities or regions they rarely lived in – as common as a footballer’s badge.
This shift is already under way. A 2025 analysis notes that ten IPL franchises now “have branches in various leagues” (Caribbean, South Africa, USA, UAE). Some owners buy multiple teams across continents – for example, the Ambani family (Mumbai Indians) recently acquired stakes in six other T20 teams globally. In parallel, players are starting to see themselves as global free agents rather than servants of a single board. Rumors from 2023 had IPL bigwigs quietly offering lucrative 12-month contracts to top English stars, making the franchise their “main employer” instead of the ECB. It’s a shift toward the European football model, where players train and play for their club and then “come back” only if released for an ICC event.
Key trends in this global shuffle include:
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Year-Round Leagues – T20 and new shorter formats run nearly every month, interspersed with franchise playoffs and “World Cup” style tournaments (possibly even a combined club championship).
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Central vs. Franchise Contracts – National boards find their central contracts competing with franchise pay. As one analyst warns, traditional contracts are now “dwarfed” by T20 league salaries. Players might earn more for a month in a league than a year of international duty.
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Overlap and Conflicts – With overlapping schedules around the globe, top players juggle half-a-dozen team commitments. Boards and franchises will negotiate year-long contracts, but conflicts may require legal and scheduling solutions. For instance, by 2035 an elite Indian batter might train in Australia’s Big Bash in the winter, fly to play an IPL-like league in the spring, then turn out for their country in summer.
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Free Agency & Drafts – Borrowing from baseball and basketball, some leagues may implement drafts or mid-season player swaps. Struggling teams could swap players mid-tournament to stay competitive, giving fans new storylines.
In practice, the global league boom means cricketers become perpetual traveling stars. A top bowler’s passport might have stamps from six continents by age 25. As one cricket-law expert notes, with “12-month franchise contracts…[players] being primarily contracted to their team and released for international duty” might become common. By 2035 this could be reality: boards may agree to consider an IPL franchise as a player’s parent organization. The international calendar (Tests, World Cups) will need fixed “windows,” or risk being sidelined.
At the same time, ICC and boards will try to protect marquee events. They may negotiate that players must always be released for ICC tournaments, and even introduce quotas (for example, limits on club ‘guest’ players) to keep national cricket alive. But fan loyalties will also shift. Imagine a young fan in 2030 calling himself a “London Spirit” supporter and a Pakistan fast-bowler, not just an England or Pakistan fan. The tribal boundaries of the game will become more flexible.
Innovations in Training and Biomechanics
While franchises compete globally, behind closed doors each team’s training center is a high-tech lab. Cricket training in 2035 will blend VR, AI, and bioengineering. Players will use wearable biomechanical sensors that tape into every part of the game. Already, bowling arms and bats have tiny chips: future devices will measure joint stress and bone load in real time. A coach will monitor bowler workloads down to milliseconds to prevent stress fractures, or use motion-capture rigs (like Vicon camera rooms) to dissect a fast bowler’s action to sub-millimeter precision.
AI and VR will transform practice drills. For batsmen, virtual reality simulators will recreate any bowler and any condition on demand. A young batter in India might don VR goggles to face a historic Ellyse Perry delivery in Brisbane, complete with crowd sound and ball tracking. Data suggests VR training can measurably improve technique – for example, studies have shown that facing simulated bowlers can boost accuracy by double digits. In return, bowers will practice bowling to virtual all-star teams, perfecting variations before showing them in real matches.
Key training technologies by 2035 include:
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Smart Wearables – Vests, sleeves or suits embedded with sensors track heart rate, muscle fatigue, joint angles and even sweat composition. These deliver data to AI coaches who spot fatigue or tweak nutrition and recovery.
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Cricket-Specific Sensors – “Smart bats” (with accelerometers) log bat speed, backlift and swing path. “Smart balls” measure delivery spin and release pressure. Each shot or delivery is digitally recorded for analysis.
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GPS & Motion Trackers – Just like in professional soccer or rugby, batsmen and fielders wear lightweight trackers in their kit to log sprint speeds, boundary sprints, dive metrics and more. Coaches use this to tailor fitness and prevent injuries (e.g. if a fielder suddenly spikes in exertion, maybe they need a rest day).
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Biomechanical AI Analysis – High-speed cameras and AI algorithms scrutinize batting and bowling techniques. The system flags any “risky” motions (e.g. elbow hyperextension) and advises correction. In effect, it will be like having an expert biomechanics lab for every player’s technique.
For example, current tech like Catapult vests already show coaches how many high-intensity runs a player does. By 2035, those vests will have AI telling the team exactly how to balance workload or even suggest slight tweaks (e.g. “shorten run-up by half a meter, reduce force on back”). Virtual nets powered by projection and force feedback could let a batter feel the real thud of a yorker from a franchise fast bowler halfway around the world. And rehabilitation will be smarter too: injured players might ‘replay’ their successful pre-injury actions via VR and regain form faster.
These advances mean players of 2035 will be fitter, stronger and technically sharper than ever. Fans might see bowlers routinely clock 160+ km/h thanks to optimized biomechanics, or batsmen playing shots previously deemed impossible. And because every aspect of training is data-driven, coaches can fine-tune diets, schedules, even mental prep on an individual level.
Bold New Formats and Rules
The 2030s may bring cricket formats that today seem bold. Shorter games will multiply. The T20 was long thought the limit, but innovations like “The Hundred” (100-ball games) and even newer formats are testing fans’ attention spans. In the USA, a 60-ball per side format called “T10 Sixty Strikes” was recently introduced, mixing high-octane power-hitting with a 90-minute game time. By 2035, global boards could adopt similar ideas: imagine an official 60-ball international format (a hybrid between ODIs and T20s) or evening “silver ball” matches under city lights for added fun.
Other rule changes might include:
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Mid-season Drafts or Trades – Borrowed from American sports, some leagues might hold a mid-tournament draft. Teams that get off to a poor start could trade or draft players from a “reserve pool” of free agents. This ensures every season stays competitive and unpredictable.
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Flexible Over Limits – We might see one-off “super over” deciders settle important ties instead of repeated full overs, making endings more dramatic. Alternatively, multi-format events (e.g. a series that includes T20, 60-ball, and Test matches) could become a festival of formats.
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Power Play Innovations – Perhaps dynamic powerplays where batting teams can choose when to take 2-overs of fielding restrictions for bonus points. Or “double points” at the end of an innings if a team opts for a riskier batting formation.
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Expanding DRS/Audience Input – With real-time AI, even social media could play a role: fan votes on a review could be integrated (safeguarded by AI) to make even the Decision Review System more interactive.
These ideas stem from ongoing debates. For example, supporters of shorter cricket already praise the T10 and 100-ball formats for attracting new fans. The success of USA Cricket’s new 60-ball league shows there is appetite for ultra-short games. The IPL and other leagues have toyed with draft ideas (indeed, some minor T20 leagues run draft systems for players). By 2035, expect a fast-moving scene where experiments in formats are welcomed to keep the game fresh. Importantly, the ICC will likely sanction new formats as long as they bring in youth fans and money – after all, the goal is to keep cricket relevant in a world of e-sports and on-demand entertainment.
The Global Athlete: Free Agents and Year-Round Play
Gone are the days when a player’s career was strictly defined by Test caps and ICC medals. In 2035, elite cricketers will think of themselves primarily as global athletes, moving seamlessly between domestic T20s, high-performance leagues, and national duty. The notion of “coming home for a Test match” might seem quaint to some.
Players will have unprecedented freedom – and work. A star player might sign a multi-year franchise deal that covers IPL, a Caribbean league, and a new African Premier League, with brief windows for World Cups and bilateral tours. Cricket players’ associations (like FICA) have already hinted that more and more players are willing to forgo international matches for lucrative contracts. In practice, we could see arrangements like: an Aussie batter spending February in India’s league, March in the USA, April back to Australia for Big Bash, and then straight to England for a home series – all in one semi-greedy, year-round schedule.
The changing role of players implies:
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Year-Round Contracts – Franchises may offer 12-month contracts, essentially treating players like footballers. One report describes this as a move “towards the football model of elite players being primarily contracted to their team and released for international duty”.
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Workload Management – With near-constant play, teams will rely on AI analytics to rotate players and ensure fitness. No single player will play everywhere; squad depth becomes crucial. Social media and news outlets will track when and where each star is playing on any given day.
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Brand Ambassadors – Off the field, players’ roles expand too. A cricketer might be a global brand ambassador for sportswear or NFTs, having virtual avatars compete in cricket video games. They could also stream practice sessions or workouts on gaming platforms to engage Gen-Z fans.
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Cultural Shifts – Sentiment among fans may shift from national pride to player-centric fandom. A teenager in 2035 might follow a fast bowler’s stats across 5 different teams rather than a single national side. Unions and boards will need to keep players loyal by raising pay or offering hybrid contract incentives (for example, bonus payments for representing country in ICC events).
It won’t all be smooth. Already by 2025, reports suggested IPL owners courting players to “quit international cricket” in exchange for huge T20 salaries. In 2035, the tension could reach a boiling point. Some legendary players might retire from nationhood to focus on franchise wealth, a move cheered by certain markets. Others will lament the loss of national team aura. But overall, the player’s life will be more global, more commercial, and more self-directed.
Boards may respond by offering “flex contracts” (part-board, part-franchise deals) or by aligning national schedules so big leagues never collide with ICC events. In any case, one thing is certain: the cricketer of 2035 is as likely to call himself a franchise player as a national hero.
Green Cricket: Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Stadiums
No story of 2035 cricket is complete without thinking of the planet. As climate concerns mount, cricket boards and venues have begun to “go green” in the 2020s, and by 2035 this will be a full priority. Many of today’s top grounds have already committed to ambitious goals. For instance, Lord’s and Edgbaston aim to be carbon-neutral by 2030, and Edgbaston even hosted the UK’s first “climate-conscious” international match. By 2035 such efforts will be universal: every international series will aim for a minimal carbon footprint.
Features of eco-friendly cricket in 2035 might include:
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Solar and Wind Powered Stadiums – Cricket grounds will have photovoltaic roofs and nearby wind farms. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was already a pioneer, being Australia’s first sports club to earn carbon-neutral certification for its operations. Expect similar certifications worldwide.
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Net-Zero Tours – Teams traveling for series will offset or eliminate emissions. For example, air travel might be replaced by hydrogen-powered aircraft or long-distance high-speed electric trains. Hotel stays and venues will use only renewable energy and green building practices.
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Plastic-Free Tournaments – Polythene and single-use plastics are eliminated. Fans use re-usable smart cups and cutlery. Waste sorting (compost, recycle) is done via robots in the stands.
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Sustainable Merchandising – Jerseys made of recycled materials, or even printed on-demand to cut waste. Food concessions prioritize local, organic fare; meat and dairy options are minimal to reduce emissions from livestock.
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Water Management – Smart irrigation systems keep pitches green but water-efficient. In dryer climates, stadiums may recycle greywater or even capture dew.
These ideas are already seeded in 2025. For instance, Edgbaston’s “Go Green Game” partnered with climate experts to predict and reduce its carbon footprint. In 2035, every major cricket venue will play a Go Green match each year. ICC events (World Cup, T20 Cups) will be designed with sustainability standards: full carbon audits, local supply chains, and fan-awareness campaigns.
What’s more, some of cricket’s very equipment might evolve: research into eco-friendly cricket balls (biodegradable cores or recycled materials) is underway. Turf science may yield grass varieties that require no pesticides or virtually no watering. The boundary ropes, chairs, and nets could all be made of recycled plastics or biofibers. In short, fans in 2035 will enjoy cricket knowing that each match is as gentle on the Earth as it is thrilling on the field.
Conclusion: A Bright, Futuristic Innings
Cricket in 2035 will be unrecognizable from today – yet the heart of the game will remain. It will still be about bat meeting ball, fierce competition, and moments of brilliance. But the backdrop will be transformed by technology and global culture. AI might call a fair catch that a human eye would have missed, a fan watching in Kathmandu may feel like he’s right behind the bowler’s arm, and a player may dream of captaining a franchise team rather than a nation. All the while, matches will run on renewable power and inspire fans to care about the world around them.
This future is not inevitable, but it is plausible. Cricket boards, leagues, and innovators are already laying the groundwork. If progress continues on its current path, Gen-Z fans and beyond will experience a cricket that feels closer, faster, and smarter than ever before – all while still celebrating that glorious uncertainty that defines the sport. In the end, the game’s magic will shine on in new ways: AI might predict a match outcome and still be surprised when a last-ball wicket turns the result on its head. The thrill, passion, and drama will still be there, amplified by technology rather than replaced by it.
The journey to 2035 will be one long, thrilling innings. The pitch may change, but cricket’s soul will endure – perhaps healthier, more inclusive, and more global than ever before.
Sources: Contemporary analyses of AI and sports tech, tech market forecasts, and recent news on franchises and sustainability were used to inform this speculative projection. All data is drawn from current research as of 2025.
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