Amid IPL hullabaloo, there’s a constant piracy war that goes on

You know the moment. The match is about to begin, your group chat is buzzing, and someone drops a link.

As the Indian Premier League returns, India’s biggest digital audience ritual is back. So is its most persistent shadow: illegal streaming that refuses to die, even when the official stream is free.

When India watched the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, the numbers told two stories at once. On one hand, enforcement agencies and platforms took down over 400 piracy apps and websites, disrupting millions of illegal viewing instances.