JioStar frames India’s T20 World Cup 2026 challenge as a battle against history

JioStar has unveiled its campaign for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026, positioning the tournament not as a routine title defence for India, but as a once-in-a-generation moment to take on history itself. Led by Rohit Sharma, the captain who won India their second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, the campaign film is anchored in a powerful provocation. India’s biggest opponent in 2026 is not another team. It is history.

Titled “History Repeat Karenge. History Defeat Karenge”, the film frames India’s campaign as a face-off with records that have never been broken in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The campaign film opens with Rohit Sharma addressing the nation, not as a tactician dissecting rivals, but as a leader reflecting on legacy. While he acknowledges the strength of traditional competitors, his focus shifts to an intangible but formidable adversary. “Beyond teams and players, there is another opponent standing in our way. History,” he says. 

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The message moves from statistics to belief, reminding fans that cricket is not played in record books, but on the field. The film closes with Rohit rallying the nation to back a team that does not just aim to repeat history, but to defeat it.

Conceptualised by JioStar’s creative team, the campaign celebrates the sustained dominance of India’s men’s team in the shortest format, from being the number one ranked T20I side to featuring the world’s top-ranked batter and bowler.

“This World Cup is unique because India isn’t just playing against a diverse array of nations; they are playing against decades of never-been-done-before,” said Siddharth Sharma, head – sports content, JioStar. “Our campaign captures the intent to overcome historic odds. It’s about the audacity to believe that while history is written about the past, it can be rewritten by the present.”

The campaign follows JioStar’s recent film featuring India’s Women’s World Champions, where Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma come together to back the men’s team. Having recently lifted their first-ever ICC title, their support marks a distinctive shift in how the women’s game has grown in stature, with India’s women’s champions backing the men’s team to go all the way in a role reversal.