Cricket, a sport steeped in tradition, is also embracing innovation at all levels. Cricket Australia, the national governing body, is at the forefront of this evolution, combining its rich heritage with cutting-edge technology to provide world-class experiences for players and fans.
From supporting over 7,000 community-level matches each weekend to engaging millions of fans during major tournaments like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Cricket Australia is actively enhancing every aspect of the game. At the heart of this transformation is a bold technology strategy.
“Our approach revolves around delivering brilliant experiences for everyone who loves cricket,” says Don Elliott, General Manager of Technology at Cricket Australia. “Whether they’re elite players, community cricketers or fans watching from home, technology helps us engage with them like never before.”
This strategy focuses on three core pillars:
- Enhancing fan engagement with rich, personalized content.
- Strengthening grassroots cricket through digital platforms.
- Ensuring operational efficiency via a scalable, cloud-first approach.
Since adopting Microsoft Azure in 2018 to increase its capacity and flexibility, Cricket Australia has become a fully cloud-based organization. “We’ve been able to scale dynamically, whether it’s our Cricket Australia Live app handling peak traffic during a Test match or our PlayCricket app tracking millions of balls bowled at grassroots matches each weekend,” explains Elliott. “The cloud has been a game-changer, enabling us to process four times the workload we did four years ago, at half the cost.”
This cloud-first approach has also positioned Cricket Australia to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence to revolutionize engagement with both fans and grassroots players.
A New Era of Fan Engagement
At the elite level, Cricket Australia is pushing boundaries with the new AI Insights feature in the Cricket Australia Live app. This “matchday companion” provides fans with regular text-based updates during matches. The feature uses AI, built on a deep understanding of cricket, to identify key narratives, player performances, and notable milestones that go beyond live scores and commentary, providing new context and insight into the game.
“This feature is about helping fans deepen their engagement with the game,” states Kieran McMillan, Head of Customer Experience at Cricket Australia. “Knowledge builds passion. The more someone learns, the more invested they become.”
AI Insights leverages Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service alongside Azure CosmosDB and Azure SQL to provide real-time insights. Cricket Australia collaborated with two Microsoft partners for the new AI feature. HCLTech provided front-end and API development support to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience. Insight Enterprises’ back-end software development and implementation services were crucial in creating the robust infrastructure needed to deliver real-time, AI-generated insights at scale.
Cricket Australia officially launched the AI Insights feature in January 2025 at the Women’s Ashes Test match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. According to McMillan, AI Insights’ capabilities are just the beginning. “We envision future iterations that personalize insights based on a fan’s knowledge level – whether they’re a beginner or a cricket strategist,” he explains.
Furthermore, Cricket Australia is also exploring the use of generative AI to produce tailored content, including personalized match summaries and push notifications. Additionally, vertical video integration, inspired by platforms like TikTok, offers immersive highlights and has proven popular with fans on the Cricket Australia Live and Big Bash apps. The apps also feature personalization tools like the ‘For You’ section and player-based notifications, to allow fans to curate their cricket experience and remain connected with their idols.
“The better we can understand our fans, particularly through direct digital relationships, the more effective we get at delivering the right content at the right time, whether it’s match updates, merchandise offers, or highlights featuring their favorite player.”
Digitizing Interactions with Grassroots Cricket
While elite matches often grab headlines, grassroots cricket is the foundation of the sport in Australia. The PlayCricket app has revolutionized how players and families interact with the game, with 70% of community matches now live-scored digitally.
“Players can relive key moments through AI-powered highlights,” says McMillan. “We’ve now added push notifications, and in an upcoming enhancement, parents can get notifications when their kids are about to bat. It’s about creating fan-level experiences at the local level.”
This digital transformation is driving increased participation. Research by Cricket Australia shows that players using the PlayCricket app are significantly more likely to return the following season. “The app strengthens players’ identity as cricketers, fostering pride in their performance and connection to the game,” adds McMillan.
AI is poised to further enhance grassroots cricket by automating match reports, creating personalized player profiles, and providing coaching insights based on performance data. Robust data management is crucial to unlocking these opportunities, according to Elliott. “The level of data we have, combined with the advances we’ve made in technology, puts us in a great position to continue innovating with AI.”
Partnership Power
Elliott emphasizes that Cricket Australia’s technology transformation and innovation depend heavily on strong partnerships. These include companies like HCLTech, Microsoft, and Insight.
HCLTech has been Cricket Australia’s Digital Technology Partner since 2019, playing a key role in transforming core platforms, apps, and digital experiences. “Our impact spans the entire cricket ecosystem – from elite to grassroots,” says Sonia Eland, Executive Vice President and Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand at HCLTech. “We’ve been proud to help Cricket Australia deliver better outcomes for players, coaches, and fans.”
Microsoft has also played a crucial role in this transformation, with Cricket Australia deploying applications like Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Viva Insights to improve collaboration and employee experiences.
Sarah Carney, National Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, is enthusiastic about deepening the company’s partnership with Cricket Australia, especially regarding the use of AI. “Traditionally, fans have had limited ways to engage with and understand a match beyond what’s presented in a standard broadcast or live commentary,” Carney says. “AI is changing that by transforming fan engagement into dynamic, personalized, real-time experiences.”
“Together, we’re not just enhancing cricket for today’s fans. We’re redefining what’s possible for future generations.”
Veli-Matti Vanamo, Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific at Insight, believes the AI Insights matchday companion truly exemplifies how AI solutions can transform how fans engage with sports and consume match insights. “We are proud of the partnership with Cricket Australia and believe this launch signifies the beginning of a new era where AI innovation brings data to life, providing amazing insights from community cricket to first-class matches,” Vanamo says. “This knowledge is helping the sport go from strength to strength, and we are truly excited about the possibilities that this AI journey holds for Cricket Australia.”
