How GEPL Is Bridging Cricket's Massive Fanbase with India's Esports Revolution

India's esports industry is in the middle of a serious growth curve - the market was valued at roughly $240 million in 2025 and is projected to grow at 18-23% annually through the next decade, crossing the $1 billion mark before 2035.

Sponsorship already accounts for the largest share of that revenue, at roughly a third of the total. Against that backdrop, GEPL isn't just riding the wave - it's helping define what a structured, franchise-led esports property in India can look like.

Why the esports fraternity is paying attention

What sets GEPL apart is who's backing it. The league's ownership roster spans cricket royalty (Sara Tendulkar), Bollywood and business (Suniel Shetty), unicorn founders (Peyush Bansal of Lenskart, Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha), venture capital (Prashant Prakash of Accel India), and critically for esports credibility - genuine gaming-industry insiders. Season 3's newest owner, Tanmay Singh ("Scout"), is among the most recognised names to have emerged from India's competitive gaming and streaming scene, and his ownership of Gujarat Wolves gives the league a direct, authentic line to its youngest, most digitally native fans.

That mix matters. Esports in India has long struggled with legitimacy in the eyes of mainstream sport and mainstream capital. GEPL's franchise model, with owners committing multi-year, not one-off sponsorship spends signals something different: esports treated as a durable business, not a marketing stunt.

The scale is already there: Season 2's 910,000+ registrations and 174 million broadcast impressions put GEPL's reach on par with recognised traditional sporting properties , a claim few Indian esports leagues can make. With the government's MeitY AVGC Promotion Task Force now formally recognising esports as a skilling and career discipline, and Khelo India exploring structured esports inclusion, GEPL sits right at the intersection of policy tailwinds and cultural momentum.

The game-changer angle: GEPL isn't asking India's esports fraternity to build an audience from scratch, it's converting cricket's existing 1-billion-strong fan base into esports viewers and, increasingly, esports investors.