Sports
ITW Universe secures global rights for India vs Japan T20I
Historic September 22 clash will mark the first senior men’s meeting between India and Japan
MUMBAI: Cricket is about to make a rather big pitch in Japan. ITW Universe has secured the exclusive global sports production, broadcast distribution and commercial marketing rights for the one-off T20I between India and Japan, giving the sports marketing company control of the broadcast feed and commercial inventory for the landmark fixture.
The match is scheduled for September 22, 2026, at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi, Japan, and will be broadcast globally at 9:30 AM IST, or 1 PM local time.
The fixture will be the first-ever meeting between the senior men’s teams of India and Japan on a cricket pitch. Organised by the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) under its ‘Sport 75’ initiative, the match is being staged to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
For ITW Universe, the rights acquisition also opens up a new commercial and broadcast opportunity around Indian cricket. The company is already in advanced discussions with Star, Sony, Zee and FanCode for domestic and international television and streaming partnerships. No broadcast partner has been confirmed yet.
The timing adds another layer to the occasion. The match will take place alongside the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, providing an opportunity to put Japanese cricket in front of a much wider international audience while taking India’s cricketing footprint into a market where the sport is still developing.
The JCA is also expanding capacity at the Sano International Cricket Ground ahead of the fixture, with the association expecting growing interest in the live event.
JCA CEO Naoki Alex Miyaji described India’s arrival on Japanese soil as a milestone for the sport’s development in the country, while ITW Universe co-founder Bhairav Shanth said controlling the broadcast and commercial rights would allow the company to shape the match’s global presentation as well as its brand opportunities.
With 75 years of India-Japan diplomatic ties providing the backdrop and the senior teams meeting for the first time, the September 22 fixture is set to be more than a one-off game, it could be cricket’s opening over in Japan’s growing sporting market.
