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First-Ever AI-Powered ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Google have joined forces for an AI-powered ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, naming Google Gemini as the Official AI Fan Companion and Google Pixel as the Official Smartphone. This partnership promises exciting fan experiences powered by Google’s advanced AI. While Gemini acts as a creative partner for fans to interpret and celebrate the game, Google Pixel will capture high-quality, unique perspectives from the heart of the stadium.

ICC Chief Executive, Sanjog Gupta, said: “This partnership brings together two global organisations united by consumer focus, scale, purpose and innovation. Google’s leadership in connection, search & discovery and AI, aligns strongly with the ICC’s ambition to serve fans better, delivering phygital experiences across touchpoints. Together, we will use technology to deepen engagement, enhance experiences and make cricket more accessible and meaningful for fans worldwide.”

Shekar Khosla, VP Marketing at Google India, said: “We were thrilled to witness firsthand during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 how AI can enhance and delight the fan experience. Now, as we strengthen our partnership with the ICC for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, we are bringing together Gemini’s generative capabilities and Pixel’s advanced imaging to deliver features that empower fans with new avenues for creativity and celebration. We are excited to see how these innovations help a new generation of digital-first fans celebrate the spirit of cricket.”

The partnership kicked off with a first-of-its-kind interactive experience, the Gemini “Craziest Fan Kaun” contest. Centred on creative expression, this interactive contest invites fans to bring out their inner artists by using Gemini’s image generation capabilities – powered by Nano Banana – to create and share unique ‘Crazy Fan’ avatars. Selected winners will receive an exclusive stadium experience, attending an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match in person while wearing the custom AI-designed looks they created.

Building on this, Google and the ICC are introducing more immersive experiences and features, integrating Google’s AI directly into the fan journey.

  • A Dedicated “Explore Cricket” Tab in the Gemini app: The Gemini home screen now features specialised intent chips for the World Cup. Fans can access a dedicated “Explore Cricket” tab that opens a suite of interactive tools, with new content refreshed every week to give fans something new to look forward to. This includes generating instant, easy-to-understand explanations for complex rules like the DLS system, playing ICC T20 World Cup quizzes, or engaging in “Guess the Player” and “Design a new cricket format” challenges.
  • Insight Cards by Gemini: Fandom goes beyond the scorecard; it’s about the personalities that define the game. To help fans celebrate, Gemini now generates vibrant, shareable insights. By synthesising information on the web, Gemini creates digital snapshots— highlighting trivia, career milestones and more. These insights are designed for instant social sharing, allowing fans to showcase their pride in a fun, AI-powered format.
  • Unique Perspectives via Google Pixel: As the Official Smartphone, Google Pixel will leverage its incredible camera technology to provide stunning, never-before-seen perspectives of the game. These high-quality views, powered by Google Pixel’s advanced camera, 48MP 5x telephoto lens and superior video capabilities, will be shared both inside the stadium and across social media channels, bringing fans closer to the action.

The current features represent the initial phase of the partnership’s rollout. As the partnership progresses, Google and the ICC will continue to introduce new, AI-driven ways for fans to engage with the sport.

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