T20 World Cup 2026 fuels rise of behind-the-scenes cricket content

Indian cricketers Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh on Snapchat. (Pic/Screengrab from Snapchat.inc)

With the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 and IPL 2026 to follow soon after, cricket fever in India is at its highest point. While cricket in India is celebrated as a religion, it is also a memory, a ritual and an emotion shared across generations.

When Virat Kohli anchors a tense chase or when Rohit Sharma makes a high-stakes game look effortless, the moment resonates far beyond the boundary rope, making the fans a lot happier.

However, the ongoing social media trends and the upscaled engagement of fans and cricketers on social media are creating a new way to get to know all the sneak peeks of the teams and the players.

For decades, the sport lived in stadiums and on television screens, while the digital era, dominated by social media such as Snapchat and Instagram, has expanded on a much larger scale.

Now, a younger audience, particularly Gen Z, is pushing that evolution further. Beyond match highlights and post-game interviews, fans are seeking access to players' lives off the field, following their travel days, team-bonding moments, celebrations during tours and the quieter routines between fixtures.

While platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and X continue to host polished posts and sponsorship-driven content, there is a growing appetite for material that feels less curated. Short-form, real-time updates are also gaining immense ground, offering what appears to be a more spontaneous window into athletes' daily lives.

In this context, Snapchat is one such social media platform that has emerged as a preferred platform for several Indian cricketers.

Snapchat becomes the preferred choice of cricketers sharing the team's inside stories

Players such as Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma and Washington Sundar have increasingly used Snapchat to share snippets from dressing rooms, team buses and practice sessions.

Unlike traditional posts designed for permanence and broad reach, Snapchat's ephemeral format encourages quick, in-the-moment sharing.

Franchises in the Indian Premier League, including Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, have also experimented with behind-the-scenes storytelling tailored to younger audiences. The aim appears to be expanding engagement beyond match days and tapping into a fan base that consumes content primarily through mobile-first platforms.

Saket Jha Saurabh, Director and Head of AR and Content Partnerships at Snap Inc., sharing his views on the rising popularity of Snapchat among Indian cricketers, said, "Today, fans don't just want to watch the game. They want to feel closer to their favourite cricketers. Snapchat is uniquely positioned for that because it is built around real connections and authentic self-expression. We are seeing players share everything from dressing room banter to life on tour in a way that feels natural and unfiltered."

"Our focus is on enabling creators with tools like AR and creative formats that help them tell their stories in ways that feel immersive, expressive, and rooted in culture," Jha added.

As cricket continues to dominate India's sporting landscape, the conversation around the game is no longer confined to commentary boxes and press conferences. Increasingly, it is unfolding in fleeting 30-second clips, shared from team hotels and airport lounges, reshaping how the sport is experienced in the process.