IT services major HCL Technologies Ltd. on Wednesday said it has signed a multi-year deal with Cricket Australia to deliver digital experiences to fans, players, and employees.
The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
HCL “will help the Australian cricket’s governing body provide an elevated and immersive digital experience to cricket fans, players, partners, employees, and volunteers across the country and around the world, through CA’s digital offerings”, the company said in a statement.
HCL will also engineer a digital core ecosystem for CA through a composable platform that will be modular, auto-scalable, data-driven and experience-centric, it added.
HCL will manage CA’s suite of digital products, including properties such as the Cricket Australia Live App, cricket.com.au, bigbash.com.au and community cricket applications like MyCricket, and community.cricket.com.au.
HCL Technologies Executive Vice President and Country Manager at Australia and New Zealand Michael Horton said that the company understands the importance of retaining and engaging fans in today’s digital world.
“We look forward to providing the Australian cricket community with leading-edge digital technologies that support real-time, engaging, personalised and unified experiences”, he added.
HCL has worked with Manchester United and Volvo Ocean Race as well.
The cricket-following community is substantial in Australia, with more than 2 million fans attending cricket matches during the 2018-19 season, the statement said.
Around the world, the sport of cricket has a fan base of over 2.5 billion followers.
Digitally, CA has an online audience exceeding 20 million globally per year.
Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer Kevin Roberts said cricket is rapidly evolving here and overseas, and part of that evolution involves advancements in technology and the digital landscape.
“The usage of these (digital) platforms continues to grow significantly, so partnering with a leading global technology provider to harness this growth and help us take advantage of our leading position is a natural next step,” he added.
HCL will help CA take its digital offerings to the next level and allow CA to better connect with and inspire communities through cricket, he said.