From grassroots to elite: How Cricket Australia is scoring better digital experiences with AI and cloud technology 

Cricket is a game steeped in tradition yet unafraid of change. Cricket Australia, the sport’s national governing body, embodies this duality by blending heritage with cutting-edge innovation to deliver world-class experiences for players and fans alike. From supporting over 7,000 community-level matches every weekend to engaging millions of fans during major tests such as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Cricket Australia is continually enhancing how people experience the game. 

At the heart of this transformation lies a bold technology strategy. “Our approach revolves around delivering brilliant experiences for everyone who loves cricket,” says Don Elliott, General Manager of Technology at Cricket Australia. “Whether they’re elite players, community cricketers or fans watching from home, technology helps us engage with them like never before.” 

This strategy is built on three key pillars: enhancing fan engagement with rich, personalised content, strengthening grassroots cricket through digital platforms, and ensuring operational efficiency through a scalable, cloud-first approach. Since adopting Microsoft Azure in 2018 to increase its capacity and flexibility, Cricket Australia has been 100 per cent cloud-based. 

“We’ve been able to scale dynamically, whether it’s our Cricket Australia Live app handling peak traffic during a Test match or our PlayCricket app tracking millions of balls bowled at grassroots matches each weekend,” explains Elliott. “The cloud has been a game-changer, enabling us to process four times the workload we did four years ago, at half the cost.” 

This cloud-first foundation has also positioned Cricket Australia to explore AI’s potential to revolutionise engagement with cricket fans and grassroots players. 

A new era of fan engagement

At the elite level, Cricket Australia is not just pushing boundaries – it’s hitting them with the new AI Insights feature in the Cricket Australia Live app. Described as a ‘matchday companion’, the feature provides fans with a regular feed of text-based updates as matches progress. The feature uses AI rooted in a deep understanding of cricket to identify key narratives, player performances and notable milestones that go beyond the live scores and commentary, giving new context and insight into what is happening on the field.   

“This feature is about helping fans deepen their engagement with the game,” says Kieran McMillan, Head of Customer Experience at Cricket Australia. “Knowledge builds passion. The more someone learns, the more invested they become.” 

AI Insights leverages Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service alongside Azure CosmosDB and Azure SQL to provide real-time insights. Cricket Australia also collaborated with two Microsoft partners on the new AI feature. HCLTech provided front-end and API development support to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience. Meanwhile, Insight Enterprises’ back-end software development and implementation services were crucial in ensuring the robust infrastructure needed to deliver real-time, AI-generated insights at scale. 

Cricket Australia officially launched the AI Insights feature in January 2025 at the Women’s Ashes Test match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. According to McMillan, AI Insights’ capabilities are just the beginning. “We envision future iterations that personalise insights based on a fan’s knowledge level – whether they’re a beginner or a cricket strategist,” he explains.  

Beyond this, Cricket Australia is exploring the use of generative AI to produce tailored content. This could include personalised match summaries and push notifications. 

Cricket Australia is also revolutionising the digital cricket experience in other ways through the Cricket Australia Live and Big Bash apps. Vertical video integration, inspired by platforms like TikTok, offers immersive highlights and has proved a real hit with fans. Meanwhile, personalisation tools like the ‘For You’ section and player-based notifications allow fans to curate their cricket experience and stay connected with their idols, even during the off-season. 

“The better we can understand our fans, particularly through direct digital relationships, the more effective we get at delivering the right content at the right time, whether it’s match updates, merchandise offers or highlights featuring their favourite player.” 

Digitising interactions with grassroots cricket

While elite matches often dominate headlines, grassroots cricket is the bedrock of the sport in Australia. With 70 per cent of community matches now live-scored digitally, the PlayCricket app has transformed how players and families interact with the game. 

“Players can relive key moments through AI-powered highlights,” says McMillan. “We’ve now added push notifications, and in an upcoming enhancement, parents can get notifications when their kids are about to bat. It’s about creating fan-level experiences at the local level.” 

This digital transformation is driving participation. Research by Cricket Australia shows that players using the PlayCricket app are significantly more likely to return the following season. “The app strengthens players’ identity as cricketers, fostering pride in their performance and connection to the game,” McMillan adds. 

AI is poised to take grassroots cricket even further. Generative AI could automate match reports, create personalised player profiles and provide coaching insights based on performance data. 

However, Elliott says robust data management is crucial to unlocking these opportunities. “The level of data we have, combined with the advances we’ve made in technology, puts us in a great position to continue innovating with AI.” 

Partnership powerplays

Elliott notes that Cricket Australia’s technology transformation and innovation wouldn’t be possible without strong partnerships with companies like HCLTech, Microsoft and Insight. 

HCLTech has been Cricket Australia’s trusted Digital Technology Partner since 2019, playing a key role in transforming its core platforms, apps and digital experiences. 

“Our impact spans the entire cricket ecosystem – from elite to grassroots,” says Sonia Eland, Executive Vice President and Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand at HCLTech. “We’ve been proud to help Cricket Australia deliver better outcomes for players, coaches and fans.” 

Microsoft has also played a vital role in Cricket Australia’s technology initiatives over the years, with the governing body deploying applications like Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Viva Insights to improve collaboration and employee experiences. 

Sarah Carney, National Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, is excited about deepening the company’s partnership with Cricket Australia, particularly around the use of AI. 

“Traditionally, fans have had limited ways to engage with and understand a match beyond what’s presented in a standard broadcast or live commentary,” Carney says. “AI is changing that by transforming fan engagement into dynamic, personalised, real-time experiences. 

“Together, we’re not just enhancing cricket for today’s fans. We’re redefining what’s possible for future generations.” 

Veli-Matti Vanamo, Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific at Insight, says the AI Insights matchday companion is a great example of real-world AI solutions transforming how fans engage with sports and consume match insights. 

“We are proud of the partnership with Cricket Australia and believe this launch signifies the beginning of a new era where AI innovation brings data to life, providing amazing insights from community cricket to first-class matches,” Vanamo says. “This knowledge is helping the sport go from strength to strength, and we are truly excited about the possibilities that this AI journey holds for Cricket Australia.”