New Delhi, April 23 -- LightFury Games raises $11 million in a Pre-Series A funding round, bringing on a mix of institutional investors and high-profile Indian cricketers as strategic backers, as the studio looks to build a globally competitive cricket gaming franchise.

The round saw participation from Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, MIXI, and Times Internet, alongside investments from cricketers including M.S. Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma, and Sai Sudharsan.

The company said the involvement of active and former international cricketers is aimed at strengthening the authenticity and realism of its debut title, eCricket, which is expected to launch in 2026.

M.S. Dhoni said he saw an oppor...